SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/433388
10 SportsTurf | December 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com Field Science only slightly, relative to injury sustained by untreated plots (8 and 13% quality decrease, respectively). Because the effects of the single colorant application were relatively shortly lived, we could speculate that a repeat applica- tion of colorant midway through the winter might have allowed for aesthetically acceptable turf during the entire bermudagrass dormancy period as well as facilitated more rapid spring green-up. Overseeding effects On surface hardness Surface hardness is an important indi- cator of surface performance as it relates to player safety. In this study, we were particularly interested in better understand- ing effects of irrigation level, traffic, and overseeding on surface hardness (Gmax). Perhaps not surprisingly, surface hardness levels measured using a Clegg Impact Tester were generally higher under un-irrigated conditions in this study. Across both irriga- tion levels, there were significant differences in surface hardness due to both treatment (overseeded vs. non-overseeded) and traffic (Figure 4). Surface hardness was noticeably reduced by reducing traffic as well as overseeding. On average, the hardest surfaces were detected under non-overseeded / trafficked treatments (77 Gmax), followed by overseeded/trafficked (67 Gmax), non-overseeded/non- trafficked (57 Gmax) treatments, and overseeded/non trafficked (52 Gmax). It should be noted that while differences were detected among treatments, to our knowl- edge, none of these levels would be considered high enough to be deemed a safety concern. While winter overseeding with peren- nial ryegrass will continue to be commonly practiced within the sports turf industry, information on feasibility of alternative options for accommodating winter play in the context of water shortages will allow turf managers to make appropriate deci- sions in managing and protecting their turf during dormancy. Factors such as budget, irrigation/rainfall availability, and event schedules need to be taken into consider- ation. For situations where high traffic is received during bermudagrass dormancy, perennial ryegrass has been the standard, but with the development in improved turf- type annual ryegrasses, a more affordable option may be available for more limited budgets with little sacrifice in aesthetics. Turf managers with limited events may wish to consider fall colorant applications just prior to dormancy as an option to save time, maintenance, and resources. However, single applications appear to be relatively short lived, and repeat applications midway through the dormancy period may be nec- essary. All situations are different, and thus, various options should be considered by the turf manager. ■ Dan Hargey is a graduate research assis- tant in Turfgrass Science in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. Ben Wherley is assistant profes- sor of Turfgrass Science and Ecology in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. Figure 4. Clegg surface hardness (Gmax) within irrigated plots during the study period. Overseeded treatment is average of annual and perennial ryegrass plots.