Rodney Tocco, John Sorochan, Carl Sams, and Scott McElroy. University of Tennessee, 252 Ellington Plant Science, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-4506
The increasing demand for excellent, year-round putting conditions requires many golf course superintendents in the transition zone and upper south to manage creeping bentgrasses during summer stresses. The combination of heat, low cutting heights and heavy play from early May through late September may severely stress this cool-season turfgrass species. Growth rate, color and overall turfgrass quality often decrease as air temperatures rise above the optimum range. In 2006 and 2007, a field experiment was conducted in Knoxville, TN to evaluate the effects of enriching the atmospheric microenvironment of ‘Crenshaw’ creeping bentgrass with CO2 during ante meridem photoperiods. Bentgrass response to enriched air treatments of ~700 ppm and ~1100 ppm CO2 was compared to that of the ambient control (~340 ppm CO2). Data collection included green surface temperature, color and overall turfgrass quality. Total nonstructural carbohydrate levels were measured following six weeks of treatment.
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