Effects of ethephon soaking seeds on growth of Lolium perenne seedlings at different soil moistures

The present study evaluated the growth performance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. Accent) at seedling stage response to ethephon soaking treatment under different soil moistures treatments. Three different soil water contents (30%, 50% and 70% of maximum field water capacity, FWC) were set to simulate the severe dry, moderate and moist soil condition. Meanwhile, the seeds were soaked with 4 different concentrations of ethephon solution (control，0.05%，0.1% and 0.2%) for 24 hours before planting. The results indicated that FWC 30%~50% were the ideal soil water contents for perennial ryegrass growth which did not need too much irrigation. The concentrations of 0.05%~0.1% ethephon concentration could reduce the effects of soil water content on perennial ryegrass growth. However, soil water content had major impacts on perennial ryegrass growth compared with ethephon soaking.