Performances of different cool season turf grasses and some mixtures under mediterranean environmental condition

In the present study, turf color, cover, weed invasion and quality traits of different turf alternatives pure sowings of Lolium perenne, Festuca arundinacea, F. rubra spp. trichophylla, F. rubra spp. commutata and different types of mixtures (mixture 1: 75% F. arundinacea + 25% L. perenne; mixture 2: 50% L. perenne + 50% F. ovina; mixture 3: 50% L. perenne + 25% F. rubra spp. commutata + 25% F. rubra spp. trichophylla & mixture 4: 40% L. perenne + 25% F. rubra spp. commutata + 25% F. rubra spp. trichophylla + 10% Poa pratensis) were tested in acidic soils under Mediterranean climatic conditions. Results indicated the outstanding performances of F. arundinacea and partially L. perenne, which displayed quite high scores of color, cover, weed invasion and quality. F. rubra spp. commutata and spp. trichophylla had very limited scores of tested traits under summer heat and drought stress conditions of experimental area. The mixture including L. perenne and F. arundinacea had also satisfactory performance, with the exception of mixtures containing F. rubra subspecies, F. ovina and P. pratensis.