Assessing Drainage Performance of Turfgrass Rootzone in Sports Fields

Year 2024, Volume: 10 Issue: 4, 803 - 818, 31.12.2024

Erdal Kesgin , Kadir Gezici , Remziye İlayda Tan Kesgin , Hayrullah Ağaçcıoğlu , Mustafa Karaagaçli , Mehmet Turgut Sağlam

https://doi.org/10.28979/jarnas.1530185

Abstract

Sports fields are used by many national and international organizations worldwide. For this reason, carefully studying the hydraulic and mechanical properties of sports field surfaces is a major engineering concern. This study aimed to increase sports turf's resilience and determine the mixing ratios and fertilizer doses in the rootzone in order to enable effective water drainage. In the field test, the mixture of 3 different soils (100% sand; 10% mixture + 90% sand; 20% mixture + 80% sand) was used for the mix of 70% ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and 30% bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) in baskets with a size of 1.3 x 0.5 x 0.20 m. Moreover, the turfgrasses were grown through the application of two different doses (2.5 ml (A) and 3.0 ml (B)) of liquid humic acid named Run/Black Jak in addition to basic fertilization of 18-22-0 (slow-release fertilizer) + Nu Film spreader-sticker + 26-05-11 (slow-release fertilizer) + 9-9-9 (slow-release fertilizer containing +9% Fe). It was observed that 2 cm layer was formed under the turfgrass in rootzones with 80% sand + 20% sitl+clay mixture by slowing water drainage and negatively affecting infiltration, making it unsuitable for sports fields. Penetration, infiltration, and vane shear tests were performed, and it was determined that the best rootzone in terms of hydraulic and mechanical surface properties was the rootzone treatment formed with 10% silt-clay-organic mixture + 90% sand mixture.

Keywords

Sports field, rootzone, turfgrass, fertilizer, drainage

Project Number

214M616

Thanks

This work was supported by the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK), Grant number: 214M616.

References

• E. Kesgin, A. Doğan, H. Ağaçcıoğlu, Experimental and numerical investigation of drainage mechanisms at sports fields under simulated rainfall, Measurement (125) (2018) 360–370.
• I. T. James, M. J. Hann, R. J. Godwin, Design and operational considerations for the use of mole ploughing in the drainage of sports pitches, Biosystems Engineering 97 (1) (2007) 99–107.
• K. Gezici, E. Kesgin, H. Ağaçcıoğlu, Hydrological assessment of experimental behaviors for different drainage methods in sports fields, Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 147 (9) (2021) Article Number 04021034 10 pages.
• E. Kesgin, H. Ağaçcıoğlu, A. Doğan, Experimental and numerical investigation of drainage mechanisms at sports fields under simulated rainfall, Journal of Hydrology 580 (2020) Article Number 124251 19 pages.
• M. Karaağaçlı, Investigation of proper mixture of soil and fertilizer at the rootzone of pitch grass of sport fields to provi̇de durability, fast and efficient drainage conditions, Master's Thesis Namık Kemal University (2019) Tekirdağ.
• Sport England, Natural turf for sport: Design guidance note, English Sports Council, London, 2011.
• X. Liu, B. Huang, Root physiological factors involved in cool-season grass response to high soil temperature, Environmental and Experimental Botany 53 (3) (2005) 233–245.
• D. H. Taylor, G. R. Blake, Sand content of sand-soil-peat mixtures for turfgrass, Soil Science Society of America Journal 43 (2) (1979) 394–398.
• J.J. Henderson, J. R. Crum, T. F. Wolff, J. N. Rogers, Athletic field rootzone mixes: what is the best mix for your field, In Proceedings of the 71st Annual Michigan Turfgrass Conference, Michigan, 2001, pp. 96–99.
• I. T. James, Advancing natural turf to meet tomorrow's challenges, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology 225 (3) 2011 115–129.
• M. C. J. Caple, I.T. James, M. D. Bartlett, The effect of grass leaf height on the impact behavior of natural turf sports field surfaces, Sports Technology 4 (1-2) 2011 29–40.
• A. Doğan, H. Ağaçcioğlu, L. Basayiğit, Research on techniques that will provide rapid and effective drainage of sports fields under various hydrological and meteorological conditions., Report number: 214M616, Ankara, TUBITAK, 2018.
• S. J. Mooney, S. W. Baker, The effects of grass cutting height and pre-match rolling and watering on football pitch ground cover and playing quality, Journal of Turfgrass Science (76) (2000) 70–77.
• T. Eraşık, Investigations on the turf quality of some new tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) cultivars in Mediterranean ecology, Master's Thesis Ege University (2014) İzmir.
• W.A. Bentley, Studies of Raindrops and Raindrop Phenomena, Monthly Weather Review 32 (10) 1904 450–456.
• E. Açıkgöz, Yem Bitkileri, Uludağ Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Yayınları, Bursa, 1991.
• J. B. Beard, Turfgrass: Science and culture, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1972.
• C. Brito, H. Ferreira, L. T. Dinis, H. Trindade, D. Marques, C. M. Correia, J. Moutinho-Pereira, Different LED light intensity and quality change perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) physiological and growth responses and water and energy consumption, Frontiers in Plant Science 14 (2023) Article ID 1160100 13 pages.
• P. Stachowski, Retention and water needs of natural grass turf of football fields, Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska, 25 (2023) 256–264.
• K. Gezici, H. Ağaçcıoğlu, E. Kesgin, Comparison of natural and synthetic grass football fields in terms of drainage designs, Uludağ University Journal of the Faculty of Engineering 27 (1) 2022 487–502.
• A. J. Turgeon, Turfgrass management. 3rd Edition, Prentice-Hall Inc, New Jersey, 1991.
• E. Kesgin, K. Gezici, H. Ağaçcıoğlu, An overview of sports field drainage: Creation of an experimental study system, Journal of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Gazi University 38 (4) 2023 2495–2504.
• S. W. Baker, Soil physical conditions of the rootzone layer and the performance of winter games' pitches, Soil Use and Management 5 (3) 1989 116–122.
• S. Magni, M. Volterrani, S. Miele, Soccer pitches performances as affected by construction method, sand type and turfgrass mixture, Acta Horticultural (661) 2004 281–285.
• J. Orchard, The AFL penetrometer study: Work in progress, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 4 (2) 2001 220–232.
• M. Caple, I. James, M. Bartlett, Mechanical behavior of natural turf sports pitches across a season, Sports Engineering 15 (3) 2012 129–141.
• V. H. Stiles, I. N. Guissasola, I. T. James, S. J. Dixon, Biomechanical Response to Changes in Natural Turf during Running and Turning, Journal of Applied Biomechanics 27 (1) 2011 54–63.
• Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), FIFA quality programme for football turf, handbook of test methods, Switzerland, 2015.
• R. A. Ramli, Slow release fertilizer hydrogels: a review, Polymer Chemistry 10 (45) 2019 6073–6090.
• Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), FIFA natural pitch rating system (2022), https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/58aa765dd3e85f26/original/FIFA-natural-pitch-rating-system_EN.pdf, Accessed 9 October 2024.
• C. M. Burbrink, C.M. Straw, Spatiotemporal variability of a stadium football pitch during a professional tournament, Sports Engineering 26 (8) 2023 1–9.
• O. E. Alabi, Impact of Natural Turfgrass Sports Field Characteristics and Management Strategies on Field Quality and Playability, Master's Thesis Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas University (2023) Texas.
• S. Hejduk, S. W. Baker, C. A. Spring, Evaluation of the effects of incorporation rate and depth of water-retentive amendment materials in sports turf constructions, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B-Soil and Plant Science 62 (1) 2012 155–164.
• S. W. Baker, C. W. Richards, The effect of compaction energy and initial moisture content on laboratory determinations of soil physical properties of rootzone mixes for soccer pitches, International Turfgrass Society Research Journal (7) 1993 430–436.
• C. M. Straw, C. O. Samson, G. M. Henry, C. N. Brown, A review of turfgrass sports field variability and its implications on athlete–surface interactions, Agronomy Journal 112 (4) 2020 2401–2417.
• C. F. Cereti, F. Rossini, F. Romoli, Improvement of the drainage capacity in sports turf, Acta Horticulturae (661) 2003 315–318.
• M. R. Simpson, P. R. Fleming, M.W. Frost, Briefing: Sustainable drainage for sports pitch developments, In Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers Municipal Engineer 166 (4) 2013 211–215.
• P.R. Fleming, M. W. Frost, M. R. Simpson, Drainage Behavior of Sports Pitches- Findings from a Research Study, Loughborough University, Loughborough, 2016.