Monday, November 5, 2007
75-1

Bentgrass Establishment in a Greenhouse Using Subsurface Drip Irrigation.

Justin Weeaks, Texas Tech University, Plant and Soil Science, MS 2122, Lubbock, TX 79409, Richard Zartman, PO Box 42122, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech. University, Plant and Soil Science Department, Lubbock, TX 79409-2122, and Michael Maurer, Stephen F. Austin State University Library, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 13000, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962.

A replicated greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the use of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for bentgrass establishment in sand-based rootzones. Subsurface drip irrigation is quickly becoming more popular in irrigation design. The use of SDI on golf courses has been limited to bunker faces and other areas; but the use of SDI for establishment of seeded bentgrass has not been examined. Previous experiments indicated that SDI will allow germination of seeded bentgrass but uniformity and coverage were low in many treatments. In this study treatments included peat moss and Western Pozzolan, which were both mixed at 10, 20, and 30% by volume. Inclusion of an over the top sprinkler treatment was included as a control mixed at 20% by volume with peat moss. This study documented that Western Pozzolan produced significantly more percentage coverage (41% compared to 0%) than peat moss. Sprinklers in all studies resulted in more coverage (65%) than the other two treatments. Further research needs to be conducted to better enhance germination using subsurface drip irrigation.