Jeffrey Beasley, 226 J.C. Miller Hall, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Louisiana State University, Agronomy & Environmental Management, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 and Henry Wilkinson, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801.
The effect of planting date on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) sod root
growth was examined. Kentucky bluegrass sod
was established in spring, summer, and autumn in 2006 on a sandy loam soil located
at the Turfgrass and Landscape Research Facility in Urbana, Illinois.
At 2 week intervals for a total of 10
weeks after establishment (WAE), cores were collected to a depth of 15 cm and
analyzed using the WinRhizo System. The WinRhizo System
was used to analyze root architecture including total root length (TRL) and
surface area (SA). Each architectural parameter
was categorized into diameter classes, 0 to 0.1, 0.1 to 0.2, 0.2 to 0.3, and >0.3
mm) and depth classes, 0 to 7.5 cm and 7.6 cm to 15 cm. At the end of architectural analyses, roots
were dried and biomasses recorded. Pre-harvest
sod cores were collected and analyzed in order to serve as seasonal controls. Sod established in spring and autumn followed
similar growth patterns and reached pre-harvest levels in terms of TRL and SA within
4 to 5 WAE. However, root biomass of
spring and autumn established sod was up to 50 % less than pre-harvest sod roots.
Pre-harvest sod had a greater proportion
of roots within the larger root diameters classes compared to spring and autumn
established sod. Sod established in
summer had slower root growth and did not attain TRL or SA of controls within 10
weeks. Findings show spring and autumn
provide optimal environmental conditions to enhance sod root growth compared to
summer conditions. However, measurement
of sod root growth using biomass does not accurately indicate important root
parameters such as TRL and SA.