Environmental parameters and fertilisers as factors affecting the salicylic acid and total polyphenol contents in sport turfgrasses

ABSTRACT In 2019, we conducted a field experiment to test the effects of three different granular fertilizers on the salicylic acid and total phenolic contents in five different sport turfgrass mixtures under natural conditions. It was one of the first experiments assessing the natural resistance of sport turfgrass in Europe. In five terms, before and after fertilizers applications, we randomly collected turfgrass samples within each plot for chemical analyses. The turfgrass mixtures did not affect the average contents of salicylic acid and total polyphenols. The average contents of both compounds were influenced by the date of evaluation and fertilization scheme. The average content of salicylic acid was significantly the lowest under fertilization scheme C. The highest level of salicylic acid was detected on 18th June under scheme A and the lowest on 28th May, where the salicylic acid content ranged from 0.01 ± 0.00 mg.g−1 under scheme A to 0.017 ± 0.00 mg.g−1 under scheme B and 0.006±0.00 mg.g−1 under scheme C. The content of total polyphenols was higher under fertilization schemes B and C. We conclude that the method of fertilization exerts a certain effect on the salicylic acid and total polyphenol contents in turfgrass mixtures, which also depends on environmental factors.