Abstract
Wetting agent is designed to reduce the surface tension of the liquid and spread more easily across or penetrate into the soil against water repellency. The effect of wetting agent to seed germination is not clear. Using germination enhancer is one of the methods to increase the germination speed of turfgrass seeds and to shorten establishment period. The objective of the study was to evaluate germination enhancer and wetting agent for quick establishment of various Kentucky bluegrass cultivars. The germination enhancer was used at two levels of 0.3 and 0.6 ml kg-1 as low and high, respectively. Two levels of wetting agent were of 0.46, and 0.92 ml m-2 as low and high, respectively. Germination enhancer has no synergistic effect with wetting agent. When quick establishment is required, selection of cultivar would be more effective instead of using germination enhancer and wetting agent. Among Kentucky bluegrass cultivars, ‘Award’ had the greatest turfgrass coverage for establishment and the greatest turfgrass color and quality based on the result of the study. When quick establishment is required, selection of cultivar would be more effective instead of using germination enhancer and wetting agent.
Figures & Tables
Mean turfgrass coverage (%) for by turf cultivar main effect. Each mean was calculated from 12 observations (three replications × two application rates of germination enhancer × two application rates of wetting agent). Means with the same letter within each date are not significantly different according to Fisher’s LSD (P=0.05). KB and PR mean Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass respectively.
