Cultivation Effects on Organic Matter Concentration and Infiltration Rates of Two Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) Putting Greens

Soil cultivation is commonly used to manage organic matter (OM) accumulation in golf course putting greens. Our objectives were to determine: (i) if hollow-tine cultivation is more effective than solidtine cultivation at managing OM and water infiltration, (ii) if venting methods are effective at managing OM and water infiltration, and (iii) if venting alters or interacts with effects of earlyor late-season cultivation. The study was a 3 ́ 5 factorial repeated on two ‘Providence’ creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) research putting greens. Tine treatments were hollow-tine, solid-tine, or no-tine cultivation. Venting treatments were Hydroject, PlanetAir, quad needle tine, bayonet tine, or no venting. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for OM content using loss on ignition. Water infiltration rates were determined in situ. After 2 years, there were few consistent differences found among the tine and venting treatments, and there were no significant interactions regarding OM concentration. This response was attributed to the small amount of surface area impacted by cultivation and to the equalization of topdressing quantity across all treatment combinations. Hollowtine and solid-tine cultivation increased infiltration compared with no cultivation. In general, Hydroject treatments increased water infiltration rates more than all other venting treatments regardless of tine treatment. Organic matter accumulation in creeping bentgrass putting greens has been a concern since the innovation of sand-based root zones (Gaussoin et al., 2013). Accumulation of OM can increase thatch in a putting green, creating a soft, saturated surface that results in decreased playability (Glasgow et al., 2005). Equipment and foot traffic can also cause surface imperfection (e.g., ruts, scalping, and foot imprints) on putting greens with high OM content (Oatis, 2010). Excessive OM decreases water infiltration rates and increases surface water retention (Hurto et al., 1980). Excess surface water retention for extended periods decreases gas exchange (O2, CO2, CH4) between the soil and atmosphere, which can have a negative impact on turfgrass growth (Carrow et al., 2001; Hillel, 2004). Published in Applied Turfgrass Science DOI 10.2134/ATS-2014-0032-RS © 2014 American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher. Dep. of Agronomy and Horticulture, Univ. of Nebraska–Lincoln, 279 Plant Science Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583. Received 27 Mar. 2014. *Corresponding author ([email protected]). Abbreviations: HTC, hollow-tine cultivation; LOI, loss on ignition; OM, organic matter; STC, solid-