Planting Rate and Nitrogen Fertility Affect Runoff Losses during Hybrid Bermudagrass Establishment. Issue 1 (1st September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rice, Lance; Beasley, Jeffrey; Gaston, Lewis; Sanders, Kayla; Munshaw, Gregg
• Is Part Of: Agrosystems, geosciences & environment. Volume 2:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 5
• Publication Date: 2019-09-01
• Subjects: Agriculture -- Periodicals; Agriculture -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Soil science -- Periodicals; Food science -- Periodicals; Food science; Agriculture; Agriculture -- Environmental aspects; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 630
• DOI: 10.2134/age2019.07.0057
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2639-6696

Abstract

Abstract : Core Ideas: The high sprig planting rate resulted in faster bermudagrass establishment. The high and low N fertilizer rates resulted in similar bermudagrass establishment. Runoff, sediment, and nutrient losses decreased over time as groundcover increased. High sprigging and low N fertilization rates reduce nutrient losses during establishment. Bermudagrass is grown on athletic fields, home lawns, and right‐of‐ways because of its quality, excellent wear tolerance, and vigorous growth. Sprigging followed by high N application rates is used for large acreage sites to accelerate bermudagrass establishment. However, low plant density, high soil moisture, and frequent fertilizer applications during establishment present conditions prone to sediment and nutrient movement during intense rainfall. This research simulated sprig establishment conditions while measuring bermudagrass coverage, runoff volume, and concentrations of inorganic N, total P, and sediment during 30‐min rainfall events at 10, 20, and 30 days after planting (DAP) from replicate trays of bermudagrass established at 27.2 or 81.5 m 3 ha −1 and fertilized at 12.2 or 48.8 kg N ha −1 wk −1 . All treatment combinations of sprig planting rates and N rates resulted in >88% bermudagrass groundcover at 35 DAP. Increasing sprig planting rates accelerated bermudagrass establishment, whereas increasing N fertility did not. As bermudagrass groundcover increased, surface runoff volume and sediment losses declined. However, sprigs fertilized at 48.8 kg ha −1 wk −1 N resulted in higher cumulative N losses of 2.34 and 1.48 kg ha −1 compared with 1.08 and 0.68 kg ha −1 for sprigs fertilized at the low fertility rate. Increasing the sprig planting rate was effective in reducing erosion. Decreasing the N application rate and increasing the planting rate during bermudagrass sprig establishment are best management practices to accelerate bermudagrass canopy closure and reduce potential nutrient and sediment losses.