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Healing Potential of Creeping Bentgrass as Affected by Nitrogen and Soil Temperature 1
Author(s) -
Hawes D. T.,
Decker A. M.
Publication year - 1977
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 - 10.2134/agronj1977.00021962006900020005x
Subject(s) - loam , agrostis , agronomy , stolon , nitrogen , clipping (morphology) , growing season , environmental science , agrostis stolonifera , fertilizer , poaceae , biology , soil water , chemistry , soil science , linguistics , philosophy , organic chemistry
Maintenance of creeping bentgrass putting greens in the transition zone between the northern cool season grass region and the southern warm season grass region is difficult during July and August due to high temperatures. A management study on soil temperature plots with several N sources and levels was thought to be a suitable method of finding solutions to this maintenance difficulty. This paper reports the effects of N levels and temperature on what we have chosen to call healing potential. ‘Penncross’ creeping bentgrass ( Agrostis palustris Huds.) was maintained on field soil temperature plots with target temperatures of 32, 21, ambient and 10 C. The soil was a Sassafras silt loam (Typic Hapludults). Response to N from two sources was compared at three levels in five fertilizer treatments. The healing potential of the turf was determined by visually estimating the 3‐week growth of stolons from the surrounding turf as percent cover that developed into a 4.8 cm diameter bare area. Healing potential was compared with clipping yields which were taken from sub‐plots (N sources). Healing was best under conditions of warm temperatures (ambient, 21 and 32 C) and high N levels for three dates in June and July. However, an adverse effect of high N was found at the 32 C soil temperature for three dates in August. Healing potential was closely related to clipping yield. Their linear correlation values ranged between + 0.82 and + 0.92. Clipping yields were found to be a good indicator of the healing potential of creeping bentgrass turf.