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Copy link Two applications of an eqo.s fertilizer improved turf quality
STRI, Bingley
Key Conclusions
- Independent summer fertilizer trial completed at STRI, Bingley, UK
- Completed in 2023 on Lolium perenne sward over sand-dominated rootzone.
- Eqo.s controlled-release nitrogen was compared with competitor slow release and inhibited nitrogen products, at 250 kg N /ha from two applications during the trial period.
- All three fertilizers significantly improved (P<0.01) mean turf quality, mean turf colour and NDVI during the 16-week trial.
- Eqo.s controlled-release nitrogen significantly improved (P<0.01) turf quality and turf colour and NDVI on two occasions after the initial application then on four occasions after the second application when compared with the competitor products.
Trial Details
Trial station
STRI, Bingley
Crop
Turf
Treatments
An independent summer fertilizer trial was conducted at STRI trials ground, Bingley, UK. A Lolium perenne professional sports pitch sward over a high sand percentage rootzone was maintained as a professional sports pitch for the trial over 16 weeks during the summer 2023. Three fertilizer technologies were compared (table one), applied twice, once at the trial start (June 5th) and again at week six (July 18th), to provide a total application rate of 250 kg N /ha (the additional nutrients present in the SRF product were not equalized). The treatments were replicated four times in 1m x 1m plots following a randomised complete block design, as part of a larger fertilizer trial. Visual assessments of turf quality and turf colour on a 1-10 scale, alongside NDVI readings by handheld meter were made fortnightly through the trial between June and October.
| Treatments | Nitrogen type | Analysis | Rate (g/m2) | Total N applied (kg N /ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | N/A | |||
| Eqo.s | Coated controlled release fertilizer | 32-0-0 | 39 x 2 | 250 |
| SRF | Slow-release fertiliser containing Methylene urea and Isobutylidene diurea | 20-5-8 | 62.5 x 2 | 250 |
| Inhibited | Urea containing DCD nitrification inhibitor | 46-0-0 | 27 x2 | 250 |
Treatments
An independent summer fertilizer trial was conducted at STRI trials ground, Bingley, UK. A Lolium perenne professional sports pitch sward over a high sand percentage rootzone was maintained as a professional sports pitch for the trial over 16 weeks during the summer 2023. Three fertilizer technologies were compared (table one), applied twice, once at the trial start (June 5th) and again at week six (July 18th), to provide a total application rate of 250 kg N /ha (the additional nutrients present in the SRF product were not equalized). The treatments were replicated four times in 1m x 1m plots following a randomised complete block design, as part of a larger fertilizer trial. Visual assessments of turf quality and turf colour on a 1-10 scale, alongside NDVI readings by handheld meter were made fortnightly through the trial between June and October.
| Treatments | Nitrogen type | Analysis | Rate (g/m2) | Total N applied (kg N /ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | N/A | |||
| Eqo.s | Coated controlled release fertilizer | 32-0-0 | 39 x 2 | 250 |
| SRF | Slow-release fertiliser containing Methylene urea and Isobutylidene diurea | 20-5-8 | 62.5 x 2 | 250 |
| Inhibited | Urea containing DCD nitrification inhibitor | 46-0-0 | 27 x2 | 250 |
Results
One month after first application, eqo.s treated plots showed a significantly (p<0.01) greater mean turf colour which remained at week six.
Figure 1. Mean Turf Visual Colour (1-10). Error bars indicates standard error of the mean. Treatment points sharing a letter indicate no significant difference.
Four weeks after the second treatment application in week eight eqo.s treated plots showed significantly greater (p<0.01) mean turf colour which lasted until the end of the trial week 16. Mean turf quality followed a similar trend (figure 2), with a similar response from all three treatments up to week four.
Figure 2. Mean Turf Visual Quality (1-10). Error bars indicate standard error of the mean. Treatment points sharing a letter indicate no significant difference.
Following this the eqo.s treatment showed a significantly (p<0.01) higher mean turf quality value at week four and week six. Following the second treatment application at week eight eqo.s treated plots showed a significantly greater mean turf quality from week 12 right through to the end of the trial at week 16. NDVI results showed similar responses (data not shown). The differential turf response was clearly visible at week 12 from drone images taken of the trial (image 1) and by week 15 only the eqo.s plots were clearly showing better visual turf colour than the control.
Image 1: Drone image from week 6 of a section of the summer fertilizer trial, STRI.
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