Date of Award

2019

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Plant Sciences

Department

Plant Sciences

College

Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources

Faculty Advisor

Li, Deying

Description

Athletic field rootzones are often sand-based for improved drainage. Sand-based rootzones may have stability issues if turfgrass is not fully established. Our objective was to use organic amendments to improve the stability of sand-based fields during the turfgrass establishment period and avoid overuse of inorganic materials, which have negative effects. We tested coconut coir, peat and wheat straw at 1% organic material, peat at 2% organic material, and an inorganic stabilizing fiber, StaLok, in the top 10 cm of the rootzone. Surface hardness, volumetric water content, traction, penetration resistance and visual quality were measured 2 to 4 months after construction of the plots. Surface hardness was greatest in the inorganic stabilizer and the wheat straw treatments. The kinetic penetration had no differences between the wheat straw (33.78-51.10 kPa) and the StaLok fibers (34.99-56.23 kPa). Wheat straw could be used to stabilize sand-based fields as an organic alternative to inorganic fibers.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/31150

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