Response of Italian Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) Cultivars to Different Drought Levels

This study is aims to determine the germination and seedling growth responses of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) cultivars under drought stress. The research was conducted in the Laboratory of the Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Siirt University. The plant material used in the study consisted of three Italian ryegrass cultivars Çiğdem, Elif, and Zeybek-19. These cultivars were germinated under different drought levels (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). The laboratory experiment was conducted with a randomized split-plot design, with four replications. In the study, germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), germination index (GI), germination of uniformity coefficient (CUG), germination energy (GE), seedling fresh weight (SFW), and seedling vigor index (SVI) parameters were examined. The increase in drought levels significantly (p