ABSTRACT
The cool-season turfgrasses are taxonomically grouped within the subfamily Festucoideae and comprise the tribes Festuceae and Aveneae. The photosynthetic source organs of a bermudagrass turf mowed at 5 cm consists of variously angled leaf blades forming a canopy of vegetation with a leaf area index. While environmental variables have a marked impact on source–sink relations in closely mowed turfgrasses, management practices may be equally significant. Diurnal cycles of photosynthate partitioning in closely mowed grasses have been studied primarily by K. E. Cockshull. Seasonal patterns of mass partitioning in forage grasses have been studied, and when subjected to intensive grazing such grass communities may approximate the situation prevailing in a closely mowed turf. The literature on turfgrass source–sink relations contributes little to our understanding of the bio-chemical or physiological characteristics underlying photosynthate partitioning. Turfgrass improvement for greater stress tolerance and resource use efficiency will most readily be achieved by the combined efforts of agronomists, physiologists and geneticists.
