The Real Color of Money: Athletic Field Paint and Turfgrass Health.

Athletic field paint applications are an essential component of popular athletic events all over the world and establishing the connection between paint and turfgrass health not only has the potential to increase the safety and aesthetics of athletic turf but also the potential to fundamentally change the nature of paint products themselves.This research trial seeks to find the confounding effects of repeated applications of athletic field paint over time on turfgrass photsynthesis and soluble carbohydrate content. To date, there is no published research on the effects of athletic field paint on turfgrass carbohydrate production. Paint treatments included white, black, and untreated with applications being applied for 4 weeks. Photosynthesis measurements show black being significantly lower than white and untreated applications. White was also significantly lower than untreated treatments. In reference to carbohydrate content, white and black paint both significantly reduced soluble carbohydrate content compared to untreated. However, there was no significant change in carbohydrate content over the 4 weeks of the study.