Effect of zeolite on some physiological and morphological traits of Festuca arundinacea grass under drought stress

Drought stress and its impact on cover crops is one of the most important studies in plant research. So, the use of modern techniques to provide greater resistance to environmental stresses is necessary. In this study, investigated the effect of zeolite on some morphological and physiological traits of Festuca arundinacea grass under drought stress. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with 2 treatments and 3 replications was conducted in horticultural science greenhouses of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in spring and summer of 2018. Treatments included 3 levels of drought stress based on field capacity (FC): (100% (control), 50% and 25%) and 3 levels of zeolite mixed with loam: (0, 10% and 20% w / w). According to the results, irrigation levels of 50% and 25% resulted in reduced vegetative traits, decreased relative water content and increased ion leakage, proline and total carbohydrate content in the plant. The interaction effects of zeolite and drought stress showed that treatment with 20% zeolite had the highest leaf area (31640 cm 2), total dry weight (78.21 g) and carotenoids (2.16 mg/g fresh weight) and the lowest ion leakage in non-stress conditions. application of zeolites especially at 20% level resulted in increased growth traits such as fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, leaf area, height and carotenoids. The results showed that zeolite improves plant growth traits and can reduce the damaging effects of drought stress on grass.