The researchers examined the differences in roots of different grasses from trial plots where soil moisture levels had consistently been kept at over 15% to more than 30% during the summer of 2022.  The results were compared to grass roots of plots that had been dependent on natural rainfall. Here, the soil moisture percentage was roughly between 5% and 15% during the same period.

In the irrigated plots, roots of these grasses tended to remain with the 0-5 cm top layer rather than in the 5-10 cm and 10-20 cm depth.

However, in the non-irrigated part, fescue rooted, particularly in the deepest 10-20 cm layer. A difference of over 7% was established, compared to fescue roots in the irrigated plot. The biomass in the intermediate 5-10 cm layer for the non-irrigated plot remained almost similar (1% difference), while significantly less root biomass was found in the top layer. It can therefore be said that during drought, fescue invests in the deepest category of roots at the expense of the root mass just below ground level.