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North West England 2023
Key Conclusions
This trial demonstrates that a wetting agent programme can contribute to turf quality by maintaining improved rootzone VMC % through periods of dryness for tee or fairway type turf in a links golf course setting.
A bi-monthly schedule of applications could deliver both significantly improved turf quality over untreated areas through summer stress and recovery periods as well as reduce water needed for application, irrigation water needed for watering wetting agents in and save time and money by reducing the number of applications needed.
As Turf Managers evaluate their current strategies for enhancing sustainability in site management without compromising surface quality, trials such as this enable them to advance in both a responsible and significant manner.
Objective
Our main objective was to evaluate the efficacy of H2Pro TriSmart for fairway and tee applications when applied bi-monthly at double the recommended rate, versus the standard monthly application at the recommended rate.
Trial Details
Trial station
North West England
Product
TriSmart
Assessments
Turf quality, VMC %
Treatments
A wetting agent trial was set up on fescue-dominated, tee quality turf at a links golf course in North West England.
Treatments were applied to 1m x 1m plots in a randomised-block trial design with 4 replications (Table 1).
The trial started on 4th April for 22 weeks ending on 18th September.
Fortnightly assessments of turf quality (assessed visually 1-10 scale) and volumetric moisture content % (VMC%) at two depths; 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) and 7.6 cm (3 inches) using a Spectrum Fieldscout TDR350 soil moisture meter.
Trial treatments and application rates
| Treatment | Application rate (L/ha) | Application interval (weeks) | Water volume (L/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control, untreated | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| H2Pro TriSmart, monthly | 10 | 4 | 700 |
| H2Pro TriSmart, bi-monthly | 20 | 8 | 700 |
Treatments
A wetting agent trial was set up on fescue-dominated, tee quality turf at a links golf course in North West England.
Treatments were applied to 1m x 1m plots in a randomised-block trial design with 4 replications (Table 1).
The trial started on 4th April for 22 weeks ending on 18th September.
Fortnightly assessments of turf quality (assessed visually 1-10 scale) and volumetric moisture content % (VMC%) at two depths; 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) and 7.6 cm (3 inches) using a Spectrum Fieldscout TDR350 soil moisture meter.
Trial treatments and application rates
| Treatment | Application rate (L/ha) | Application interval (weeks) | Water volume (L/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control, untreated | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| H2Pro TriSmart, monthly | 10 | 4 | 700 |
| H2Pro TriSmart, bi-monthly | 20 | 8 | 700 |
Results
The application of H2Pro TriSmart at both monthly (10L/ha) and bi-monthly (20L/ha) significantly (P<0.05) increased mean visual turf quality over the control on 5 of 13 measurement occasions (figure 1).
Both applications of TriSmart also increased VMC% in the rootzone during periods of dryness and drought stress, with 5 occasions being significantly different (P<0.05) to the control at 3.8cm, and 3 occasions at 7.6 cm (figure 2 and 3).
This demonstrates the ability of applications of H2Pro TriSmart to maintain a higher VMC% of the rootzone during periods of dryness and so potentially improve plant health and performance.
Comparisons between the two H2Pro TriSmart programmes in place illustrate that at no time is there a significant difference between the monthly and bi-monthly programme for mean visual turf quality or mean VMC% at 3.8 or 7.6cm.
This suggests that either programme would be acceptable for managing tee or fairway type turf and potentially utilising a bi-monthly programme would reduce resources (fuel and water) used and operator hours to make a considerable club saving and contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions.
Figure one. Mean turf quality (1-10). Letters signify comparative significant difference. Blue arrows denote applications on a monthly programme, red arrows denote applications on a bi-monthly programme.
Figure two. Mean rootzone VMC % at 3.8cm. Letters signify comparative significant difference. Blue arrows denote applications on a monthly programme, red arrows denote applications on a bi-monthly programme.
Figure three. Mean rootzone VMC % at 7.6cm. Letters signify comparative significant difference. Blue arrows denote applications on a monthly programme, red arrows denote applications on a bi-monthly programme.
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