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Moisture Sensor-Controlled Irrigation for Reducing N Leaching in Bermudagrass Turf¹

The study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using atensiometer-controlled irrigation system to reduce N leaching in turfgrass while maintaining acceptable growth. Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis) was grown on a sand soil (Pomano fine sand, a siliceous, hyperthermic Typic Psammaquent) during a series of 2-month (bimonthly) cycles. Irrigation was applied either daily (Daily irrigation), or when permitted by tensiometer soil moisture sensors (Sensor irrigation). Nitrogen at the rate of 5 g m^–2 month^–1 was applied bimonthly as NH₄NO₃, (AN) or sulfur-coated urea (SCU), or as NH₄NO₃, through the irrigation system with each irrigation (Fertigation). The effect of these treatments on turfgrass color, clipping weights, and on tissue N content were measured. Nitrogen was determined in soil water samples obtained on a near daily basis from below the rootzone using ceramic cup suction lysimeters. Nitrogen leaching ranged from 56% to less than 1% of that applied, depending on treatment and cycle. The AN source combined with Daily irrigation produced the greatest N losses (22 to 56%), and Fertigation with Sensor irrigation produced the smallest losses ( <l to 6). Sensor irrigation reduced N leaching from all N sources. For SCU and Fertigation with Sensor irrigation, the peak and average N concentrations were less than 0.9 and 0.3 mmol L^–1, respectively, whereas for AN these values were as high as 2.8 and 1.0, respectively. The combination of Sensor irrigation and fertilization by Fertigation or SCU produced the least N leaching while maintaining acceptable turfgrass growth and quality.

Key Words: Tensiometer • Cynodon • Turfgrass • Sulfur-coated area • SCU • Groundwater pollution • Nitrate • Fertigation

² Professor, Everglades Research and Education Center, P.O. Drawer A, Belle Glade FL 33430, assistant professor, Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, 3205 S.W. College Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314, and professor, Soil Science Department, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, respectively.

Received for publication February 10, 1984.

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