ROOT AND SHOOT PERFORMANCE OF THREE CREEPING BENTGRASS CULTIVARS AS AFFECTED BY NITROGEN FERTILITY^*

Abstract

Cultivar selection and nitrogen (N) fertility signi®cantly in¯u-ence the performance of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) in warmer regions of the United States. This study was conducted to determine the effects of N on root and shoot growth of three creeping bentgrass cultivars. The effect of three N rates (195.3, 390.6, and 586.0 kg Naha year) on the total root length density (TRLD), deep root length density (DRLD), visual shoot quality, shoot density, and root to shoot ratio (RSR) of Crenshaw',`L93', and`Penncross' creeping bentgrass were evaluated in the University of Georgia Rhizotron at Athens, GA. Over the 19 month study, cultivar type and N rate signi®cantly affected root and shoot growth with slight interaction. Crenshaw and L93 showed greater TRLD, DRLD, and visual shoot quality than Penncross at the 390.6 kg N rate. RSR was signi®cantly JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION, 24(3), 535±548 (2001) 535 in¯uenced by N rate but not cultivar type. Both L93 and Crenshaw possessed signi®cantly higher RSR at the 195.3 kg N rate than the 586.0 kg N rate.

Nitrogen Rate and Mowing Height Effects on Velvet and Creeping Bentgrasses for Low‐Input Putting Greens

“…Our moderate N rate was similar to or low compared with rates used by other researchers. Schlossberg and Karnok (2001) found that shoot quality and shoot density of both Penncross and L‐93, mowed at 4 mm and well watered, improved as N rates increased from 195 to 390 to 586 kg ha −1 yr −1 on a sand‐based root zone. In Rhode Island, Boesch and Mitkowski (2007) studied SR7200 response to a range of N rates from 0 to 243 kg ha −1 N yr −1 and concluded that a minimum of 196 to 243 kg ha −1 N yr −1 was necessary for acceptable quality turf.…”

Plant and Soil Elemental Status as Influenced by Multi-year Nitrogen and Potassium Fertilization

“…This is especially important for potassium as it has been found to have nonuniform distribution in grasses. [6] In a Reed canarygrass root development study conducted in Europe, [7] root mass of N-fertilized reed canarygrass increased for four years and then stabilized. As vegetative competition increased in mixed stands, reed canarygrass allocated more biomass to roots.…”

Divot Resistance of Thick Cut Sod as Influenced by Preharvest Nitrogen and Sand Topdressing

“…The reason for this difference was not apparent. The N demand of managed turfgrass is governed by species, temperature, light, and performance goals for the surface (Carrow et al, 2001; Schlossberg and Karnok, 2001; Kussow et al, 2012). In sod production for American football, where surface stability underfoot is a primary concern, moderating annual N rates to <244 kg N ha −1 may improve the surface stability of the sod at the time of installation.…”