Study and Management of Turfgrass Traffic Stress

Murphy, James A.; Ebdon, J. S.

doi:10.2134/agronmonogr56.c27

Cited by 16 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…T he effect of traffic stress on turfgrass has been well documented in previous reviews (Carrow and Petrovic, 1992;Murphy and Ebdon, 2013). Traffic is the major cause of turfgrass deterioration under the intense foot traffic typical of athletic field turf (Beard, 1973).…”

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Few studies have effectively separated the confounding effects of wear and soil compaction on established turf (Carrow and Petrovic, 1992;Murphy and Ebdon, 2013). Numerous traffic simulators have been developed to simulate the effects of both wear injury to turfgrass shoots and compaction of soil (Youngner, 1961;Canaway, 1976;Bourgoin and Mansat, 1981;Cockerham and Brinkman, 1989;Carrow et al, 2001;Shearman et al, 2001;Henderson et al, 2005).…”

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Wear and Soil Compaction on Kentucky Bluegrass Sod Rooting and Plant Recovery

Dest

Ebdon

2017

Intl Turfgrass Soc Res J

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Damage areas in sport fields from wear are often sodded before complete rooting. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of traffic (the combined effects of wear and soil compaction) on sod rooting. Poa pratensis L. sod was installed in September 2008 and 2009 on a silt loam and a sand rootzone at the University of Massachusetts‐Amherst. Treatments included a compaction and noncompaction soil and wear and nonwear treatments, which were evaluated under the influence of two soils. Compaction was applied using a plate Vibro‐Tamper prior to sodding and wear was applied with a steel brush. Wear was initiated 4 wk after sod installation in both years and applied six times. Wear injury and recovery was assessed using a 1 to 9 rating scale (9 = no injury), root initiations were measured by counts, and sod rooting strength was determined by lifting force. Wear significantly reduced sod rooting strength compared with nonwear. New root initiations and root biomass were significantly reduced by wear. Soil compaction significantly reduced root biomass below 7.5‐cm soil depth with no effect observed at the 0‐ to 7.5‐cm depth. Wear applied to sod on the silt loam achieved full recovery 45 d earlier in both years than sod grown on the sand rootzone. The effects of traffic on newly placed sod in the repair of damaged areas on athletic fields indicate that wear is the major stress limiting sod rooting, while soil compaction is secondary.

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Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Wear and Soil Compaction on Kentucky Bluegrass Sod Rooting and Plant Recovery

Dest

Ebdon

2017

Intl Turfgrass Soc Res J

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“…Increased SOM if turf species are deeper rooting (Qian et al, 2010); specific turfgrass species differences in soil C, N, and SOM accumulation (Law et al, 2017); increased soil N retention and turf productivity with diverse turf systems (Thompson and Kao-Kniffin, 2016); the soil microbiome across different urban grasslands in the Mid-Atlantic region pre-and post-construction were more similar than different, but were enriched with copiotrophic bacteria (Crouch et al, 2017) Soil disturbances/cultivation May stimulate SOM mineralization due to soil aeration and degradation of soil aggregates, but SOM effects may be offset by improved plant growth (Murphy and Ebdon, 2013); soil disturbance does not appear to significantly alter the soil microbiome once adapted to typical lawn edaphic and management conditions (Yao et al, 2006;Bartlett et al, 2007;Shi et al, 2012;Crouch et al, 2017) These potential effects may vary by the intensity of each management practice, geographically, and under different management goals. This review and this table present preliminary attempts to link multiple management practices to different soil nutrient cycles via impacts on the soil microbiome.…”

Section: Irrigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With few exceptions, nearly all turfgrass ecosystems experience some form of compaction resulting from foot or light vehicular traffic. Depending on the intended use, turfgrass may experience even more frequent compaction and wear from dedicated sports field activities, to recreational activities in small residential lawns, and for overflow event parking (Murphy and Ebdon, 2013). Soil compaction in urban grasslands is particularly a concern where loads are applied to fine-textured soils or repeated traffic is applied to the same areas (Murphy and Ebdon, 2013).…”

Section: Soil Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depending on the intended use, turfgrass may experience even more frequent compaction and wear from dedicated sports field activities, to recreational activities in small residential lawns, and for overflow event parking (Murphy and Ebdon, 2013). Soil compaction in urban grasslands is particularly a concern where loads are applied to fine-textured soils or repeated traffic is applied to the same areas (Murphy and Ebdon, 2013). In all cases, compaction itself is a soil disturbance of varying intensity and can indirectly affect soil microbial communities by decreasing water infiltration, percolation, restricting soil gas exchange, and if soil density is great enough, even inhibiting root growth and soil fauna movement (Zabinski and Gannon, 1997).…”

Section: Soil Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Urban Grassland Management Implications for Soil C and N Dynamics: A Microbial Perspective

Thompson

Kao‐Kniffin

2019

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Urban grasslands are turfgrass dominated landscapes of varying functions and uses that are ubiquitous in areas associated with human population growth and urbanization. While these landscapes are perceived to serve a primarily aesthetic function, they provide a multitude of beneficial ecosystem functions that impervious surfaces do not provide. Urban grassland soils have been shown to accumulate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) for decades, matching native grasslands and eastern hardwood forest soils in terms of C and N densities. The establishment and maintenance of urban grasslands alters many microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes in soils, including soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. Despite strong evidence of alterations to soil C and N cycling, the impacts of maintaining urban grasslands on soil microbiomes and their functions remain understudied compared to other ecosystems. Typical management practices can directly and indirectly affect edaphic factors in urban grasslands, which in turn, could impact soil processes mediated by microorganisms. We reviewed the existing literature on urban grassland management, focusing on how mowing, fertilization, irrigation, grass species composition, and soil cultivation could impact the composition and function of soil microorganisms. Although sparse, the literature indicates that the techniques used to maintain urban grassland habitats broadly select for copiotrophic microorganisms adapted to higher resource availability. Additionally, the studies indicate that greater soil fertility and plant productivity found in urban grasslands facilitate the accumulation of soil C and N, as well as SOM as compared to other land-use types. However, effects on soil biology and biogeochemistry depend on specific management practices, which are quite variable. Future research on soil C and N dynamics in urban grasslands should focus on the dominant component of this ecosystem-residential lawns-however, much of the existing scientific literature featuring turfgrass systems focus heavily on golf courses, athletic fields, and major tourist parks.

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Intercellular void space effects on Kentucky bluegrass traffic tolerance

et al. 2020

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Athletic field safety is a top concern of field managers and athletic directors across all sports. Increased field usage on fields with traffic-sensitive cultivars results in reduced turf cover and therefore decreased field safety. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L., KBG) is the most widely used cool-season turfgrass on athletic fields due to its dense turf canopy. While most KBG cultivars have strong recuperative potential, significant cultivar differences in ability to withstand athletic field traffic exist. This study was conducted to determine whether leaf epidermal cell sizes predict differences in KBG cultivar traffic tolerance. Upper epidermal cell size, lower epidermal cell size, and intercellular void space (IVS) were measured on three traffic-tolerant and three traffic-sensitive KBG cultivars from the 2011 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program KBG trial, arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Transverse sections of leaf tissue were fixed in an acid/alcohol solution and embedded with paraffin prior to sectioning for imaging by light microscopy. Cell size was determined by counting cells per unit area from light microscopy images. Leaf upper and lower epidermal cell size was not a predictor of traffic tolerance. Differences were measured in IVS at the cultivar level and at the traffic-sensitive vs. traffic-tolerant grouping contrast level. Traffic-tolerant cultivars exhibited larger IVS (2823 μm 2) than traffic-sensitive cultivars (1112 μm 2). Further investigation of these leaf anatomy size theories in relation to athletic traffic tolerance should be conducted on more cultivars, including recently released commercially available genotypes.

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Study and Management of Turfgrass Traffic Stress

Cited by 16 publications

References 86 publications

The Effect of Wear and Soil Compaction on Kentucky Bluegrass Sod Rooting and Plant Recovery

The Effect of Wear and Soil Compaction on Kentucky Bluegrass Sod Rooting and Plant Recovery

Urban Grassland Management Implications for Soil C and N Dynamics: A Microbial Perspective

Intercellular void space effects on Kentucky bluegrass traffic tolerance

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