103-10 Germination and Establishment of Ten Turfgrass Species As a Response to Various Levels of Phosphorus Fertilizer.



Monday, October 17, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Alan Zuk, PO Box 6050, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND and Deying Li, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
Phosphorus (P) is very important for turfgrass seed germination and establishment.  However, runoff of P can cause environmental problems.  Little information is available about the P requirement of commonly used cool-season turfgrasses at germination and establishment stage.  This greenhouse study was conducted to test the germination and establishment of Kentucky bluegrass (KB) ‘Park’ and ‘Bewitched’; Perennial ryegrass (PR) ‘Stellar’, and ‘Panther GLS’; Tall fescue (TF) ‘Turf Saver w/RTF’ and ‘KY-31’; Creeping bentgrass (CB) ‘Penncross’ and ‘T1’; and Creeping red fescue (CF) ‘Navigator’ and ‘Smirna’ as affected by different P levels.  Calcium superphosphate was added to a sand-based root zone to create P levels of 0, 5, 15, 45, 75, and 100 mg Kg-1.  Cool season grass species/cultivars were seeded at 100 kg ha-1 (KB), 300 kg ha-1 (PR), 400 kg ha-1 (TF), 50 kg ha-1 (CB), and 200 kg ha-1 (CF) adjusted by pure living seed (PLS) ratio.  The results showed that the germination date, seedling density, and root/shoot ratio were affected by P levels as well as species/cultivars.  Clipping yield was the highest at 45 mg Kg-1 for KB and CB, and at 75 mg Kg-1 for PR, TF, and CF.  Root/shoot ratio was the highest for KB, TF, and CF at 5 mg Kg-1, while highest for PR and CB at 15 mg Kg-1.  Germination date was earliest at 15 mg Kg-1 but delayed as P levels increased for most species.  Based on these results, further study is needed to evaluate species, cultivar, and PLS effects on P requirements in cool-season grasses.
See more from this Division: C05 Turfgrass Science
See more from this Session: Management of Turfgrass, Thatch, Soil, and Irrigation