Trinexapac-Ethyl Effect on the Leaf Anatomy of Four Turfgrass Species

Plant growth regulators can retard the growth of turfgrasses, reducing the frequency of cuts; however, there is little information on the effects of such products on the structures of the leaf anatomy. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of sequential application of two rates of trinexapac-ethyl on the leaf anatomy of the turfgrass species Broadleaf Carpetgrass (Axonopus compressus), Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum), St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) and Korean Lawngrass (Zoysia japonica). The treatments were two sequential applications of trinexapac-ethyl at two rates, (56.5+56.5 and 113.0+113.0 g ha(-1)), plus a control without spraying, for each species evaluated. The turfgrasses were cut with a motorized grass cutter up to 3 cm height, and sprayed 20 days after the treatments. After the first trinexapac-ethyl application, the plots were cut again and the second application of the treatments was performed. The experiments were arranged in a completely randomized block design with four replications. Seventy days after the second application of the treatments, samples were collected from the leaf material of the four species studied. The data of the quantitative variables were submitted to the multivariate method of principal components analysis. The results showed the formation of three and two main groups for the characters of the keel region (midrib) and wing region (located between the midrib and the leaf margin), respectively. In general, in each group, the trinexapac-ethyl treatments showed greater similarity, compared with the control. Thus, it was concluded that the sequential application of trinexapac-ethyl changed some leaf anatomical structures of the keel and wing regions in the turfgrass species studied.