[Ecophysiological responses of Festuca arundinacea to high temperature stress]

The measurement of leaf relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, cell membrane lipid peroxidation, anti-oxidative system, and photosynthesis of two F. arundinacea cultivars (Barlexas and Crossfire II) and Cynodon dactylon under high temperature (38 degrees C / 30 degrees C, day/ night) showed that with the increasing time of exposure to high temperature, the leaf RWC, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (P(n)) and photochemical efficiency (F(v)/F(m)) of two F. arundinacea cultivars had a decreasing trend, and the average decrement was smaller for Barlexas than for Crossfire II. After exposed to high temperature for 9 days, the average activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) in Barlexas leaves were 19.7%, 17.9% and 17.7% higher than those in Crossfire II leaves, and the P(n) of Barlexas and Crossfire II was decreased by 60.7% and 81.9%, respectively. Under high temperature, the F(v)/F(m) of Barlexas leaves was higher than that of Crossfire II leaves, which could be helpful to mitigate the damage of high temperature to the photosynthetic apparatus of Barlexas. No significant change was observed for each test physiological parameter of C. dactylon leaves with the increase of exposure time under high temperature. The adaptation ability to high temperature was in the order of C. dactylon > Barlexas > Crossfire II.