Warm-season grasses don't go dormant under drought conditions, but cool-season grasses can.

Warm-season grasses don't go dormant under drought conditions, but cool-season grasses can.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Warm-season grasses go dormant
• D. Cool-season grasses never go dormant

Answer: (B)

Drought triggers a dormancy response in grasses as a way to conserve water, and how a grass behaves depends on its type and the watering conditions. Warm-season grasses are generally more drought-tolerant and can stay green through dry spells, but they are not immune to drought stress. When moisture is very limited, they may slow growth or go dormant and turn brown. Cool-season grasses, while adapted to cooler temperatures, also struggle in heat and drought and often go dormant (brown) under prolonged dry, hot periods, unless irrigation is provided to keep them green. So, saying that warm-season grasses never go dormant during drought isn’t accurate, and it’s true that cool-season grasses can go dormant too under drought conditions.

Drought triggers a dormancy response in grasses as a way to conserve water, and how a grass behaves depends on its type and the watering conditions. Warm-season grasses are generally more drought-tolerant and can stay green through dry spells, but they are not immune to drought stress. When moisture is very limited, they may slow growth or go dormant and turn brown. Cool-season grasses, while adapted to cooler temperatures, also struggle in heat and drought and often go dormant (brown) under prolonged dry, hot periods, unless irrigation is provided to keep them green.

So, saying that warm-season grasses never go dormant during drought isn’t accurate, and it’s true that cool-season grasses can go dormant too under drought conditions.