Foliar Nitrogen Uptake Following Urea Application to Putting Green Turfgrass Species

Foliar fertilization often comprises a significant portion of the total annual N applied to putting greens. This study was initiated to evaluate the efficiency of this practice under field conditions. 15N-labeled urea was used to quantify seasonal uptake of foliar-applied N by creeping bentgrass (Ag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Crop science 2011-05, Vol.51 (3), p.1253-1260
Main Authors: Stiegler, J. Chris, Richardson, Michael D, Karcher, Douglas E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Agrostis stolonifera
application rate
Biological and medical sciences
Cynodon dactylon
Efficiency
Fertilizers
Foliage
foliar uptake
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
golf courses
hybrids
leaves
nitrogen
nitrogen fertilizers
R&D
Research & development
Studies
turf grasses
Turfgrasses
Urea
urea nitrogen
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Summary:Foliar fertilization often comprises a significant portion of the total annual N applied to putting greens. This study was initiated to evaluate the efficiency of this practice under field conditions. 15N-labeled urea was used to quantify seasonal uptake of foliar-applied N by creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera var. L. palustris (Huds.) Farw. ‘Penn A1’) and hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy ‘Tifeagle’) managed as putting greens. Urea was spray-applied monthly, May through September, at rates of 0.5 and 1.25 g N m−2 Both species absorbed urea rapidly, with 24 to 67% of the fertilizer N entering the foliage within 1 h following treatment; peak foliar absorption was generally observed at 4 h after treatment. Percentage of foliar uptake was significantly reduced at higher application rates for both species. In addition, absorption of urea-N by foliage of both species was affected by month of application and year. When averaged across all sampling times and N rates, foliar absorption percentages were similar between the two species, ranging from 36 to 69% for creeping bentgrass and 38 to 62% for bermudagrass. Overall, foliar absorption efficiency was variable and there were no consistent seasonal trends associated with these differences.
ISSN:1435-0653
0011-183X
1435-0653
DOI:10.2135/cropsci2010.06.0377