A Gamma-ray–Induced Dwarf Mutant from Seeded Bermudagrass and Its Physiological Responses to Drought Stress

Breeding for dwarf-type bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ) with enhanced drought resistance is important for producing quality turf with reduced irrigation. A dwarf-type mutant (S-20–1) that exhibits slower vertical growth, and shorter internodes and leaf length was selected from the gamma-ray–irradiated seeds of a bermudagrass cultivar Sundevil II (S-CK). S-20–1 had slower turf coverage than S-CK. Compared with S-CK, the vertical growth of S-20–1 was more promoted by gibberellin (GA 3 ) treatment. S-20–1 showed an enhanced drought resistance in greenhouse and field tests. Under drought stress, S-20–1 maintained higher relative water content and lower levels of ion leakage, malondialdehyde, and leaf firing than S-CK. Antioxidant enzyme activities and antioxidant content showed no difference between S-20–1 and S-CK under well-watered conditions, while higher enzyme activities were maintained in S-20–1 under drought stress. Free proline accumulated in response to drought stress and showed a positive correlation to the increased ion leakage, while S-20–1 had lower levels than S-CK. Our results indicated that the dwarfism in S-20–1 induced by gamma-ray irradiation might be the result of less GA 3 or decrease of sensitivity to GA 3 in the mutant. The improved drought resistance of the mutant is associated with maintenance of higher levels of antioxidant enzyme activities. More accumulation of proline in S-CK than S-20–1 reflected a physiological response to the drought-induced injury rather than an association with drought resistance of S-20–1.