A case study of spatial variability in irrigation depth and surface characteristics of a stadium football pitch

Abstract

Irrigation and surface characteristics are important for managing professional turfgrass pitches. This study evaluated irrigation depth, volumetric water content (VWC), penetration resistance (PR), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on a Mirage bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) stadium football pitch in Lima, Peru, in 2019. The pitch, constructed with 10 cm of loamy sand soil, was irrigated by six pop‐up impact gun sprinklers. Data on irrigation depth, VWC, PR, and NDVI were collected from June to September using a 10.0 m × 5.0 m grid across 154 sample locations to create spatial maps. Correlation, regression, and spatial analyses evaluated relationships and variability among variables. The VWC lower quarter distribution uniformity was higher (72.0%) than that of irrigation depth (49.0%). A negative correlation was found between PR and VWC (r = −0.30, p < 0.001), with PR being the most significant predictor of VWC (p < 0.001). VWC and PR site‐specific management units indicated that the pitch center was compacted, resulting in lower VWC. These findings highlight that spatial data can enhance understanding of variability and relationships among surface characteristics, supporting data‐driven, site‐specific management for stadium pitches.