Weed control on fairways
Summary
The hypothesis is that the grass in the treated fairways will become denser and that the weed population will be significantly reduced with the new maintenance plan. A denser grass population can lead to reduced use of herbicides. Results from the project can probably also be used to reduce consumption of fertiliser by placing it in the growth layer near the grass roots.
At the beginning of the project in 2011, two golf courses participated, Sct Knud and Odense golf course, but after a year Odense golf club withdrew due to staff reductions. A football pitch in Nyborg was then enrolled in the project but it was also forced to withdraw due to construction work on the pitch. Thus, when the project ends, only results from St. Knud golf course will be available.
Due to weather problems some treatments could not be carried out at St. Knuds golf course in some years (2011-2013) and Green Service by Ole Vestergaard continued the treatment for another season (2014). Weed recording was therefore carried out in spring/early summer 2015, not in a digital manner but by direct weed counts on the fairways. A visual examination of the experiment at St. Knuds golf course in 2015 indicated that placement of fertiliser and fertiliser placement + overseeding in some of years created a denser grass sward. This is in line with the hypothesis. The denser sward was created because the existing grass was growing better, but also because new grass plants were introduced in the overseeding plots. Stripes of new grass (perennial ryegrass) could be seen in plots with
overseeding.
The weed counts in spring/early autumn 2015 did not demonstrate a clear effect of the different treatments in relation to weed occurrence, however. The highest amount of weeds appeared to be concentrated to particular parts of the experimental area, namely the area with most divots (landing area for tee shots).
Category: Turfgrass
Status: Finished
Project period: April 2011 – December 2016
Fundings (kSEK)
|
|
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
Total |
|
STERF |
30 |
|
40 |
|
70 |
|
Other sources |
58 |
44 |
44 |
44 |
190 |
|
Total |
88 |
44 |
84 |
44 |
260 |
Project objectives
The purpose of the project is to test, over a four-year period, a new maintenance plan that involves fertiliser placement, more and deeper grass cuttings (turf slicing) and depth overseeding of fairways.
Project participants
Anne Mette Dahl Jensen
Researcher
Forest & Landscape, University of Copenhagen-LIFE, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 DK-Frederiksberg C. Denmark
About STERF
STERF is a research foundation that supports existing and future R&D efforts and delivers ‘ready-to-use research results’ that benefit the Nordic golf sector. STERF was set up in 2006 by the golf federations in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Nordic Greenkeepers’ Associations.
