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White Clover Inclusion within a Bermudagrass Lawn: Effects of Supplemental Nitrogen on Botanical Composition and Nitrogen Cycling
Author(s) -
McCurdy James D.,
McElroy J. Scott,
Guertal Elizabeth A.,
Wood C. Wesley
Publication year - 2014
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/cropsci2013.10.0696
Subject(s) - trifolium repens , cynodon dactylon , biology , agronomy , cynodon , lawn , nitrogen fixation , nitrogen , growing season , stolon , grazing , botany , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry , bacteria
White clover ( Trifolium repens L.) inclusion is a proposed means of increasing the sustainability of low‐maintenance turfgrass scenarios due to its ability to biologically fix N and transfer it to associated grasses. Little is known about white clover N contribution to maintained warm‐season turfgrass swards. A 3‐yr study was conducted to evaluate the effects of white clover inclusion within a hybrid bermudagrass [ Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy] lawn. Supplemental N (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 g N m −2 ) was applied monthly, from April to August, to test the effects of supplemental N on biomass composition, N fixation, and N transfer. Mixed grass plus clover swards yielded higher clipping biomass than grass‐alone swards, which was evidence of enhanced bermudagrass growth due to biological N fixation. Likewise, grass biomass of mixed swards was increased relative to that of grass‐alone swards at supplemental N rates ≤10 g N m −2 yr −1 but was decreased at higher supplemental N rates. Nitrogen fixation was estimated to be 6.6 g m −2 yr −1 during the 3‐yr study, with an apparent increase in fixation as years progressed. Results indicate that N fixation was suppressed at the lower and upper extremes of supplemental N rates. Nitrogen transfer to the associated bermudagrass sward was estimated to be 24% during the latter 2 yr of the study. These results offer evidence of white clover utility when included within maintained warm‐season turfgrass scenarios.