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Thatch Influence on Mobility and Transformation of Nitrogen Carriers Applied to Turf 1
Author(s) -
Nelson K. E.,
Turgeon A. J.,
Street J. R.
Publication year - 1980
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/agronj1980.00021962007200030020x
Subject(s) - leaching (pedology) , chemistry , loam , urea , agronomy , ammonia volatilization from urea , volatilisation , nitrogen , poa pratensis , mollisol , environmental chemistry , poaceae , environmental science , soil water , soil science , biology , organic chemistry
Thatch frequently exists as part of the edaphic environment of a turfgrass community and thus, should be considered when attempting to determine the fate of topically applied fertilizers in turf. The purpose of these investigations was to determine the influence of a thatch layer on the vertical mobility and transformation of soluble and slowly soluble N carriers following application. Measurements of N leaching, retention, and volatilization were made using cores of thatch and Flanagan silt loam (Aquic Argiudoll) soil extracted from fieldgrown turf of Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.). Urea was selected as the soluble N carrier, and isobutylidene diurea (IBDU) was the slowly soluble N carrier. Application of urea resulted in 2.5 times as much N leaching and correspondingly lower N retention, in thatch than in soil. Where IBDU was used as the N source, leaching from the thatch was reduced from 81 to 5% of the applied N, and leaching from the soil was reduced from 32 to 23% compared to urea‐treated cores. In the volatilization studies, 39% of the applied N from urea was lost as ammonia from thatch cores compared to only 5% from the soil cores. Where IBDU was the N source, little N volatilization (4% from thatch, 2% from soil) occurred. In conclusion, where a substantial thatch layer exists, and turfgrass rooting is largely confined to the thatch layer, use of a slowly soluble N carrier might be preferable over soluble urea for reducing N losses due to leaching and volatilization. As an alternative, effective measures for controlling the thatch may result in greater efficiencies in the use of fertilizer N by the turfgrass community.