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Uptake of Sulfur by Bentgrass Putting Green Turf 1
Author(s) -
Goss Roy L.,
Brauen Stanton E.,
Orton S. P.
Publication year - 1979
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/agronj1979.00021962007100060003x
Subject(s) - agrostis , zoology , nutrient , agronomy , poaceae , agrostis stolonifera , biology , horticulture , ecology
Putting green bentgrass ( Agrostis spp.) fertility management may vary extremely between geographic locations, especially with respect to N application rates. Rates may vary from 160 to over 890 kg N/ha per year. Tissue removed by mowing over a period of time can cause nutrient deficiency from any nutrient required for growth and development. This field study was conducted on an established Agrostis tenuis Sibth. ‘Astoria’ bentgrass putting green turf at Washington State University's Western Washington Research and Extension Center at Puyallup, WA, to measure plant uptake of S at various rates of applied N and their effects on growth and color. Rates of 0, 56, and 168 kg of S/ha per year from wettable S, and 293, 586, and 976 kg of N/ha per year from urea were applied to plots. Leaf tissue samples were collected over a 12‐month period and analyzed for S by x‐ray fluorescence spectrography. Significantly lower S concentrations were found in tissue from high N plots with zero S as compared to all other treatments. Average tissue S concentrations from nonfertilized plots was lower than it was in tissue receiving N plus S, but tissue S concentrations from nonfertilized plots was significantly higher than in tissue from plots receiving N only. There was no significant difference between average tissue S concentrations among high and low S treated plots in the presence of N. The total S removed in clippings from plots receiving high N and zero S was 48% greater than that from the control. The addition of either 56 or 168 kg S/ha to N fertilized plots increased total S removal in excess of 115% over no‐S treated plots and the combined addition of N and S increased S removal 219% above the S removed in nonfertilized bentgrass. High N plus S fertilized plots had a yield of 71% more clippings and a 36% increase in average tissue S when compared to plots receiving high N and zero S. These tests revealed that 0.3% S concentration in bentgrass putting green turfgrass appears to be minimal under high N fertilization.