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.
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FieldScience ❯ TOP KENTUCKY BLUEGRASSES FOR SELECTED TRAITS, 2010 NTEP TRIAL DATA Traffic Tolerance Traffic Tolerance Traffic Tolerance Saline Irrigation “N. Brunswick, NJ” “E. Lansing, MI” “Madison, WI” “Las Cruces, NM” A00-247 Aries BAR VV 0709 BAR VV 4650 Barduke Bariris Barrari CPP 822 Emblem Greenteam Julia Jump Start MSP 3722 Prosperity Sombrero Aura Award Baron Barrari BAR-VK 0710 BAR VV 0709 Corsair J-1334 Juliet LS 4000 Avid CPP 822 Dynamo Empire Greenteam Harmonie LS 4000 MSP 3724 POPR 04594 Sombrero POPR 04594 SW AG 514 RAD-762 Skye Touche Washington STR-2485 Washington “NOTE: Bluegrasses are listed alphabetically and are either the top 15 entries for that year/location, or all of the entries “ in the top statistical grouping. Numbered entries are often still experimental and not yet commercially available. “N. Brunswick, NJ - Traffic was applied May 6th. The rankings are based on turf quality ratings taken May 6th,” immediately after traffic was applied. “E. Lansing, MI - The rankings are based on the mean of monthly turf quality rat- ings. Traffic was applied”in fall 2009 and late August 2010. “Madison, WI - the rankings are based on the mean of monthly turf quailty ratings.” “Las Cruces, NM - the saline irrigation water used had a Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) of 2.06.” the 2005 NTEP Kentucky bluegrass trial with saline water (Sodium Ad- sportion Ratio (SAR) =2.06 in 2010). In previous years, this moderately low saline level did not produce large culti- var separation. In 2010 however, much great entry separation was noted with ‘Hampton’ leading the way. Other en- tries in the top statistical group include, ‘Gladstone’, ‘Barrister’ and ‘Emblem’, and five other entries. Traffic tolerance was evaluated at three locations in 2010, using different types of traffic simulators. The North Brunswick, NJ location (Rutgers Uni- 10 SportsTurf | August 2011 versity) applied traffic in May 2010, nine months after the last traffic ‘sea- son’, using the “Slapper,” which causes leaf abrasions but not soil compaction. The entries that rated 6.0 or higher (scale is 1-9; 9=best) after the May sim- ulation include ‘Greenteam’, ‘BAR VV 0709’, ‘Bariris’, ‘BAR VV 9630’, ‘Som- brero’, ‘Emblem’ and ‘Julia’. Canopy fullness, expressed as a percentage, was evaluated after the initial 36 passes of wear on May 6th. All of the above en- tries plus ‘CPP 822’ and ‘Barduke’ had the highest canopy fullness ratings (51.7 to 71.7%). >> THE CADY, this one developed at the University of Florida and modeled after the one built at Michigan State. Other simulators have been developed that either offer variations on the Brinkman and Cady, or simulate other traffic such as golf cart wear. The Europeans have long used the Differ- ential Slip (DS2) machine, which is a cleated walk-behind unit. Also being used in Europe is the SISIS unit, as well as a unit developed by the Sports Turf Research Institute in England to simulate damage from tennis players at Wim- bledon. The University of Georgia modified a Brouwer T224 ride-on roller by adding cleats to the roller drums. Iowa State and Ohio State have each modified and used a Brouwer roller simulator as well. Scuffing units, which consist of a brush on a frame that is dragged across the plots, are being used in some locations, Continued on page 12 Barrister Beyond Blueberry Emblem Ginney II Gladstone Hampton Continued from page 8 turf. Two passes with the Brinkman have been correlated to approximate the number of cleat marks created during one NFL game between the hash marks at the 40-yard line. The Brinkman offers a relatively quick and easy method to apply traffic stress. However, the Brinkman design has been criticized because, 1) the tractor pulling the apparatus causes ad- ditional compaction and damage and has to be disregarded when evaluating plot damage, and 2) the Brinkman does not produce the compressive force needed to adequately repli- cate an athlete’s force and pressure at the play- ing surface. To compensate for the Brinkman deficien- cies, Michigan State University developed the “Cady” traffic simulator. The Cady is a modified Jacobsen Aero King 30 aerator (a self-pro- pelled unit) that has had the steel aerating tines removed and replaced with cleat-fitted pieces of rubber tires (to simulate a cleated foot). Since the aerator consists of four shafts connected to a cam that delivers a vertical ac- tion, the Cady features more vertical down- ward pressure than the Brinkman. A Ryan GA-30 aerator has also been used in modifica- tions to produce a Cady simulator. www.sportsturfonline.com