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TURFGRASS SCIENCE

Nitrate Leaching in Overseeded Bermudagrass Fairways

^a Dep. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521
^b Dep. of Botany & Plant Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521

^* Corresponding author (laosheng.wu{at}ucr.edu).

Maintaining high visual quality of turfgrass requires intensive management. Nitrogen fertilizer inputs in golf-course turfgrass have raised some concerns regarding potential nitrate leaching into groundwater. This study investigated nitrate leaching from an overseeded bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) managed as a golf course fairway (mowing height in 1.3 cm). The study was conducted from 1994 to 1997, with two soil types (sandy loam and loamy sand), two irrigation regimes, and two N fertilization programs representing the typical resort-turfgrass management practices in the semiarid southern California. Leachate was collected and its volume was measured from lysimeter assemblies each consisting of five metal cylinders. Results showed that the nitrate concentration and mass of the leachate from the loamy sand was lower than that from the sandy loam soil. The difference was attributed to N immobilization and clipping removal. The volume of leachate was greater in the loamy sand than in the sandy loam due to the higher water holding capacity of the latter. Average nitrate concentration of the leachate was lower than that of the irrigation water in five out of the six seasons, implying that if turfgrass is properly managed, it may provide an opportunity to mitigate nitrate loading to surface and ground waters, even when N application rate is high.

Abbreviations: MCL, maximum concentration level • TKN, soil total N