The goal of this investigation was to determine if playing or training on third-generation artificial turf (AT) surfaces increases the incidence rate of injuries compared to natural grass (NG) surfaces. This was accomplished by a meta-analysis performed on previously published research. Eight studies met the criteria of competitive soccer players, participation on both surfaces, and presentatio...

Turfgrass soils vary considerably in physical and chemical composition. However, regardless of their properties, most contain a vast array of living organisms, ranging from larger creatures such as earthworms and insects, to microscopic invertebrates, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, algae and protozoa. All of these organisms affect turfgrass health in important ways. However, perhaps th...

1999) in a variety of locations and soil types. The AEM technique, however, may be more sensitive than tradiThere is not extensive research on the potential of anion exchange tional extractions to treatment differences at low soil membranes (AEMs) for determining available N in soils of turfgrass NO3–N concentrations (Pare et al., 1995; Wander et al., systems, nor on the use of reflectance mete...

Roughstalk bluegrass (Poa trivialis) is a weed in cool season grass seed production fields in Oregon. Populations of this weed are often greater in fields prone to waterlogging. A greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the morphological and physiological differences between recently established roughstalk bluegrass and tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) plants in response to simulated wat...

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is one of the most widely used forage and turf grasses in the world due to its desirable agronomic qualities. However, as a cool-season perennial grass species, high temperature is a major factor limiting its performance in warmer and transition regions. In this study, a de novo transcriptome was generated using a cDNA library constructed from perennial ryegr...

Tifdwarf bermudagrass (Cynodon sp. (L.) Pers.) sod-plugs were treated with two rates of five herbicides (DCPA, Benefin, Bensulide, Terbutol and Kerb) to determine effects of these chemicals on shoot and root growth. Ap plication rates were those commonly used for weed control and twice this recommended rate. Herbicides were applied on top of the sod and below the sod to simulate surface treatme...

TOO many misleading statements are being made about the use of fertil izers on fine turf and especially suggestions that there is no agreement by scientists on what fine turf requires. This is partly caused by the different demands on different grasses and what applies to golf greens does not apply to football pitches. Some of this controversy is being created by those seeking to increase the s...

Problem Torpedograss (Panicum repens L.) is a nonnative riparian, wetland and terrestrial plant native to Eurasia and is considered one of the World’s worst weeds. It is also known as quack grass and bullet grass. When fully matured, torpedograss can grow up to 3 feet tall and form dense monotypic stands that out compete native species and lead to a loss of diversity and overall ecological heal...

We describe a candidate gene approach for associating SNPs with variation in flowering time and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content and other quality traits in the temperate forage grass species Lolium perenne. Three analysis methods were used, which took the significant population structure into account. First, a linear mixed model was used enabling a structured association analysis to be...

Soil pH may influence speciation and extractability of Pb, depending on type of vegetation in urban soil environments. We investigated the relationship between soil pH and Pb extractability at forest and turf grass sites in Baltimore, Maryland. Our two hypotheses were: (1) due to lower pH values in forest soils, more Pb will be in exchangeable forms in forested than in turfgrass soils and (2) d...