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Temperature effects on phosphorus requirements for creeping bentgrass establishment and spring growth
Author(s) -
Øgaard Anne Falk,
Aamlid Trygve S.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.1002/agj2.20288
Subject(s) - agrostis stolonifera , phosphorus , zoology , limiting , nutrient , agronomy , shoot , agrostis , eutrophication , biology , clipping (morphology) , poaceae , nitrogen , lolium perenne , horticulture , chemistry , ecology , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , organic chemistry , engineering
Phosphorus is an essential plant nutrient, but primary resources are limited and overfertilization may cause eutrophication of freshwater. Our objectives were to examine temperature effects on (a) optimal P rate for turfgrass establishment, and (b) increasing rates of foliar vs. granular P for early spring growth of established greens. Two trials, both on USGA root zones and replicated in April−May over 2 yr, were conducted in daylight phytotrons at 7, 12 and 17 °C. Experiment 1 compared 5 P rates from 0 to 0.48 g P m −2 wk −1 for creeping bentgrass establishment on a sand containing 13 mg P kg −1 (Mehlich‐3). Results showed no temperature effect on the optimal P rate. Bentgrass coverage and clipping yield increased up to 0.12 and 0.24 g P m −2 wk −1 , corresponding to 6 and 12% of the N input, respectively. The concentration of P in clippings was higher at 7 than at 17 °C indicating that temperature was more limiting to shoot growth than to P uptake. A higher root/top ratio showed that plants invested more in roots under P deficiency. Experiment 2 was conducted using intact cores from a 4‐yr‐old creeping bentgrass ( Agrostis stolonifera L.) green with a Mehlich‐3 P level of 34 mg P kg −1 . Results showed increased clipping yields up to 0.18 g P m −2 wk −1 and higher P uptake with granular than with foliar application, but there was no effect on turfgrass color and no interaction with temperature. Low temperatures did not justify higher P applications.