Sod Production Utilizing an Improved Seeded Bermudagrass Cultivar

Abstract

Improved, seeded bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) cultivars have the potential to be used for sod production, but there has been no research to determine appropriate methods for this application. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of sod netting and the growth regulator, trinexapac‐ethyl (TE), on the time required to harvest sod using a seeded bermudagrass. The experimental design of this study was a strip‐plot with sod netting being the whole plot treatment and TE treatments (0.059 lb ai/acre every 2 weeks and 0.118 lb ai/acre every 4 weeks) as the sub‐plot treatment. ‘Riviera’ bermudagrass (C. dactylon var. dactylon) was seeded at a rate of 43.5 lb/acre during the first week of June in 2005 and 2006. A commercially‐available sod netting product was randomly applied to half of the whole plot area in each replicate immediately after seeding and TE treatments were initiated at 6 weeks after planting (WAP). A strip of sod containing twelve 18‐ × 30‐inch pads was harvested from each sub‐plot at 10, 12, 14, and 16 WAP. At each harvest date, the following parameters were measured: (i) harvestable sod as the percentage of pads that were able to be handled without damage, and (ii) sod tensile strength was measured on a subsample of 5 harvested pads. Netting allowed 100% of the sod to be harvested as early as 10 WAP, while a complete harvest was never obtained with the non‐netted sod up to 16 WAP. The growth regulator, TE, had a positive effect on both percentage harvested sod and tensile strength of the sod, suggesting it can be used to hasten the harvest of bermudagrass sod when established from seed.

Winter-applied Glyphosate Effects on Spring Green-up of Zoysiagrasses and ‘Yukon’ Bermudagrass in a Transition Zone

“…Weed Table 1. Long-term mo.ly average air temperature and precipitation from weather stations located in close proximity to the field sites in Somma Lombardo (2000-10), Sommacampagna (1993-2008), and Legnaro (1963-2007 control ratings of different species were combined to form unique values based on plant size, discoloration or necrosis, and general plant vigor (Main et al, 2004). Immediately after weed control estimations, plots were handweeded to avoid weed interference on assessments of turf regrowth.…”

“…The primary concern of sod producers is to obtain an adequate quality for harvest in the shortest possible period with minimal inputs. However, the time necessary to obtain a sod ready for harvest depends on grass species, cultivar, environmental conditions, and cultural practices (Beard, 1973;McCalla et al, 2008). Highquality sod is expected to have full green color, no weeds, in addition to high density and uniformity, and other technical traits, such as strength for transplanting (McCalla et al, 2008).…”

“…In transitional environments, zoysiagrass often needs longer than one growing season to establish (Severmutlu et al, 2011) and such slow growth rates are the main reason for choosing sodding over seeding as the method of establishment. Studies conducted on seeded cultivars and vegetative hybrids of bermudagrass suggest that a minimum of 16 weeks are needed to produce a marketable sod (McCalla et al, 2008;Mitchell and Dickens, 1979), leading to transplanting in late summer or autumn under suboptimal conditions for rooting. To avoid these issues, warm-season turfgrass sod is often harvested at the onset of the second or third growing season, after reaching full spring green-up.…”

Establishment and Rooting Response of Bermudagrass Propagated with Saline Water and Subsurface Irrigation

“…However, bermudagrass, like several other turfgrass species, can be established not only from seed but also from sprigs, plugs, or sod. In the southern United States, bermudagrass is mostly propagated by sod (McCalla et al, 2008). In a 1‐yr study, Maurer (2007) successfully established bermudagrass from sod using SDI in combination with a sprinkler system to keep the soil surface moist.…”

Matching Subjective Assessments of Sod Strength to Quantitative Measurements of Peak Shear Force with Predominately Kentucky Bluegrass Sod

“…Several devices have been designed to quantitatively measure sod shear strength (Burns and Futral, 1980;Goatley et al, 1997;Parish, 1995;Rieke et al, 1968;Sharpe et al, 1989;Shildrick, 1982;Sorochan and Rogers, 2000). These devices, or modifications based on them, have constituted the majority of studies where sod strength has been reported (e.g., Agnew and Christians, 1992;Cutulle et al, 2013;Giese et al, 1997;Hall, 1980;Hall et al, 1985;Hall and Bingham, 1993;Hurley and Skogley, 1975;Li et al, 2011;McCalla et al, 2008;Rieke and Beard, 1969;Ruemmele et al, 2001;Shearman et al, 2001;Taylor and Schmidt, 1980). Although a quantitative measurement of sod strength can be made and related to specific treatment effects (e.g., N rate, growth regulators, species, and cultivar comparisons, etc.…”