A soil‐tray system used in conjunction with a growth chamber was evaluated and used to determine drought tolerance of hybrids of Eragrostis curvula var. confera Nees (boer lovegrass, 57‐4‐69) ✕ E. curvula (Schrad.) Nees (common weeping lovegrass) and Plant Introductions (PIs) of kleingrass ( Panicum coloratum L.). The stress endpoint was based on a predetermined threshold gravimetric water loss. Results with the tray system agreed with field performance of genotypes with known drought tolerance. Plant 57‐4‐69 was as drought tolerant as ‘Catalina’ beer lovegrass (selected for seedling drought tolerance). Hybrids between 57‐4‐69 and common (not especially drought tolerant) exhibited a broad range of drought tolerance, whereas kleingrass PIs showed less variability in drought tolerance than the lovegrass. This system successfully identifies drought‐tolerant germplasm in lovegrass.
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Tischler et al. (1991) studied this question.