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| Web URL(s): | http://turf.rutgers.edu/research/abstracts/symposium2016.pdf#page=55
Last checked: 07/21/2016
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Notes: Item is within a single large file |
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| Publication Type:
| Report |
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| Author(s): | Hempfling, James W.;
Murphy, James A. |
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| Author Affiliation: | Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University |
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| Title: | Topdressing with finer sands on velvet bentgrass putting green turf |
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| Section: | Poster presentations
Other records with the "Poster presentations" Section
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| Meeting Info.: | New Brunswick, New Jersey: March 18, 2016 |
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| Source: | Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth Annual Rutgers Turfgrass Symposium. Vol. 25, 2016, p. 55-56. |
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| Publishing Information: | New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Center for Turfgrass Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey |
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| # of Pages: | 2 |
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| Keywords: | TIC Keywords: Agrostis canina; Golf green maintenance; Physical soil analysis; Quality evaluation; Sand particle size; Sand topdressings
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| Abstract/Contents: | "Sand topdressing is commonly applied to golf course putting greens to smooth the surface, dilute thatch, and protect plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. Sands recommended for topdressing primarily contain medium (0.25- to 0.50-mm) and course (0.50- to 1.0-mm) particles and are referred to as medium-coarse or coarse-medium sands (first mentioned size class represents the predominant size fraction in the sand). Often coarse particles are too large to easily infiltrate the dense canopies of modern putting green turf and remain on the surface for days after topdressing applications. Interference with mowing and play caused by these remnant particles could be reduced by using topdressing materials with little or no coarse sand. However, removing coarse particles from sand results in finer-texture and more uniform grade, which are though to increase the potential for negative changes in the physical properties of the developing mat layer. Recent research has shown that topdressing with sand that contained no coarse particles (i.e., medium-fine sand) dramatically reduced incorporation time and the amount of sand removed by mowing compared to topdressing with medium-coarse sand. Moreover, plots topdressed with either medium-fine or medium-coarse sand had reduced the volumetric water content (VWC) of the surface mat layer and increased water infiltration of plots topdressed with either medium-fine or medium-coarse sand were similar. Because of this improved turf performance on plots topdressed with medium-fine sand, further evaluation of topdressing with finer-textured sand (removal of both coarse and medium particles) would be useful. A field trial was initiated in 2014 to assess the effects of eliminating coarse and medium particles form topdressing sand on the resulting performance of putting green turf. The trial was arranged as a randomized complete block design with 5 treatments and 8 blocks. Locally available medium-coarse, medium-fine, fine-medium, and fine sands were applied every 14-d at a rate of 0.3 L m-2 from 8 June to 10 Nov. 2014 and 22 May to 6 Nov. 2015. A non-topdressed control was also included. Plots were evaluated for turfgrass quality, turfgrass color, algae infestation, surface penetration using a depth-measuring micrometer, ball roll distance (BRD; Stimpmeter), sand incorporation, sand pick-up in mower clippings, and VWC of the surface of 0- to 38-mm. The trial was conducted in North Brunswick, NJ on a 'Greenwich' velvet bentgrass (Agrostis canina L.) turf maintained at 2.8-mm. The turf had a 50- to 60-mm deep mat layer overlying a Nixon sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults). Rolling with a 1.2-tonne roller was performed 6-d wk-1 to apply compaction associated stresses similar to those that result from golf course traffic. Nitrogen was applied at 4.9 kg ha-1 every 14-d and soil pH, P and K were managed based on soil tests. Pests were controlled as needed and irrigation was applied predominantly as hand-watering to maintain moderately-dry conditions. Topdressing improved turf quality compared with the control on 15 of 16 evaluation dates during 2014 and 12 of 12 evaluation dates during 2015. Turf quality rarely differed among sand sizes during 2014; however, fine and fine-medium sands began to produce better turf quality compared to medium-coarse sand by late-2015. Topdressing with all sands produced darker green turf color on 9 of 16 evaluation dates during 2014 and 3 of 12 dates during 2015. Interestingly, topdressing produced a lighter green turf color on 9 of 12 evaluation dates compared with the control during 2015. Darker green turf color and better turf quality caused by topdressing were most evident when summer stress damaged non-topdressed plots during August and September 2015. Low to moderate outbreaks of algae occurred after periods of extended surface wetness during 2014 and all sands reduced algae compared with the control on 6 of 8 evaluation dates. Top dressing did not affect the low level of algae development that occurred during 2015. All sands increased resistance to surface penetration compared with the control on all 5 and 6 measurements dates in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Few and small differences in surface penetration were found among sand sizes during both years. Ball roll distance did not differ among sand types during 2014, but the combined effect of all sands (orthogonal contrast) increased BRD compared to the non-topdressed control on 1 of 4 measurement dates during 2014. In 2015, BRD was measured on only one date (21 August; 7-d after a topdressing application); medium-fine, fine-medium, and fine sands increased BRD by 0.4-m compared with the control. Medium-fine, fine-medium, and fine sands typically required only 1 day to incorporate into the turf canopy to an acceptable level; whereas, medium-coarse sand required at least 4 days. Initial analysis of sand pick-up in mower clippings indicated that topdressing with medium-fine, fine-medium, and fine sands resulted in at least 75% less sand removed by mowing the day after topdressing compared to topdressing with coarse-medium sand. The pooled effect of topdressing reduced the VWC of the surface 0- to 38-mm compared to the control on 2 of 9 and 37 of 37 measurement dates during 2014 and 2015, respectively. Differences in VWC among sand sizes were no evident until mid-November 2014 when fine sand increased VWC compared to the other sands. Differences in VWC among sands were more pronounced during 2015, and the fine sand treatment frequently increased VWC compared to coarser sands. Additionally, the VWC of fine sand plots was not different from the non-topdress control on 5 of 37 dates. In summary, removing coarse particles from topdressing (i.e., using medium-fine, fine-medium, and fine sands) dramatically reduced the time required for sand to incorporate; reduced the amount of sand removed by mowing; increased BRD; and improved turf quality compared to topdressing with medium-coarse sand. However, reducing the amount of both coarse and medium particles in topdressing eventually resulted in a wetter surface compared to coarser topdressing sand plots. This research will be continued to examine the longer-term effects of topdressing particle size on the performance of putting green turf." |
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| Language: | English |
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| References: | 0 |
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| Note: | This item is an abstract only! |
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| ASA/CSSA/SSSA Citation (Crop Science-Like - may be incomplete):
Hempfling, J. W., and J. A. Murphy. 2016. Topdressing with finer sands on velvet bentgrass putting green turf. Proc. Rutgers Turfgrass Symp. 25:p. 55-56. |
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| Web URL(s):
http://turf.rutgers.edu/research/abstracts/symposium2016.pdf#page=55
Last checked: 07/21/2016
Requires: PDF Reader
Notes: Item is within a single large file |
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MSU catalog number: b3696858 |
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