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Fan and Syringe Application for Cooling Bentgrass Greens
Author(s) -
Guertal E. A.,
Santen Edzard,
Han D. Y.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2005.0245a
Subject(s) - agrostis , agrostis stolonifera , syringe , agronomy , horticulture , environmental science , biology , poaceae , medicine , psychiatry
Creeping bentgrass [ Agrostis stolonifera var. palustris (Huds.) Farw.] is only marginally adapted to the southeastern USA, where summer high heat and humidity can cause this cool‐season turfgrass to thin and perform poorly. Used solely on southeastern putting greens, management techniques to maintain bentgrass include syringing (cooling via application of a light spray of water) and aboveground cooling fans. There is limited research which has examined separate and combined effects of syringing and fans. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of syringing and fans on creeping bentgrass grown on a southeastern native soil putting green. Conducted for 2 yr during the summer months, the experiment consisted of three replications of fan and syringe treatments. Specific treatments were: (i) fan, or (ii) no fan; and, (i) syringe, or (ii) no syringe. Collected data include soil temperature (1.3‐cm depth) and root‐length density. The combined use of fans and syringing reduced soil temperatures below that of fans alone, syringing alone, and the no fan–no syringe control. Use of fans and syringing decreased the time that soil temperatures remained at or above levels injurious to bentgrass plants. Use of syringing alone never increased root‐length density, and in two cases decreased it. Use of fans increased bentgrass root growth at some samplings.