Evaluation of growth and flowering of ornamental grasses and other perennials planted in a city park, the case of Rabka-Zdrój

A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of the soil. Mulching plays an important role in the maintenance of green spaces. Organic materials are still sought for the preparation of mulches. Recently interest in wood chips has grown. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of mulching with pine and birch chips on the contents of phenolic compounds in the soil, as well as on the growth and flowering of ornamental grasses – Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth.) Lag. ex Griffiths, Panicum virgatum L. and Pennisetum alopecuroides L. The content of phenolic compounds in the soil steadily increased from spring to autumn. Mulching led to a substantial increase in the level of phenolic compounds. In the first year of cultivation more phenolic compounds were released by chips of pine than birch, while in the second year this difference did not occur. Mulching had a negative impact on the growth and flowering of ornamental grasses, especially in the first year of cultivation. Ornamental grass sensitivity to the substances released from mulches decreased with the age of the plants and was dependent on the species – Bouteloua gracilis was found to be particularly sensitive.

Flower margins are widely adopted as agri-environment measure (AEM) to enhance farmland biodiversity. However, perennial flower margins need appropriate mowing schemes to manage succession, especially in regions with high nitrogen depositions, and current schemes inadequately address the needs of arthropods, including pollinators. Effective management should provide floral diversity with staggered flowering times, creating varied sward structures for diverse habitats that support shelter, nesting, and mating sites. To address these challenges, a novel mowing method, called 'Three-strip management,' is proposed. This method involves dividing the margin into three strips using curved instead of straight mowing lines. During each cycle, one third remains unmown for shelter, while clippings are removed to lower soil nutrient status and reduce succession. The use of overlapping curved mowing lines aims to maximize variety in patterns, fostering spatio-temporal variation in the (re)growth of perennials and swards. Unlike Regular rotational management, multiple uneven parts are kept unmown over winter, increasing the number of subzones in different mown states over successive years. In this study, field trials comparing Three-strip management with Regular rotational management reveal positive effects especially during the second year, including higher bee abundance and diversity. Plant-pollinator networks also demonstrate increased interactions. While the study focuses on bees, the potential of the Three-strip management to support other beneficial insects is discussed. Given declining insect populations in agricultural landscapes, this paper offers insights into enhancing perennial flower margins as AEM to support pollinator populations. The novel Three-strip management presents a promising strategy for balancing management needs with diverse insect requirements, contributing to sustainable biodiversity conservation in agricultural settings.

Agronomy JournalVolume 45, Issue 6 p. 268-269 Note Preliminary Report of the Effect of Photoperiod and Temperature on the Flowering and Growth of Several Southern Grasses1 W. E. Knight, W. E. Knight Research Agronomist, Division of Forage Crops and Diseases, B.P.I.S.A.E, A.R.A., U.S.D.A., and Agronomist, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station; and Agent (Agronomist), B.P.I.S.A.E., A.R.A., U.S.D.A., respectively.Search for more papers by this authorHugh W. Bennett, Hugh W. Bennett Research Agronomist, Division of Forage Crops and Diseases, B.P.I.S.A.E, A.R.A., U.S.D.A., and Agronomist, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station; and Agent (Agronomist), B.P.I.S.A.E., A.R.A., U.S.D.A., respectively.Search for more papers by this author W. E. Knight, W. E. Knight Research Agronomist, Division of Forage Crops and Diseases, B.P.I.S.A.E, A.R.A., U.S.D.A., and Agronomist, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station; and Agent (Agronomist), B.P.I.S.A.E., A.R.A., U.S.D.A., respectively.Search for more papers by this authorHugh W. Bennett, Hugh W. Bennett Research Agronomist, Division of Forage Crops and Diseases, B.P.I.S.A.E, A.R.A., U.S.D.A., and Agronomist, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station; and Agent (Agronomist), B.P.I.S.A.E., A.R.A., U.S.D.A., respectively.Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 June 1953 https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1953.00021962004500060011xCitations: 13 1 Cooperative investigations at State College, Mississippi, of the Division of Forage Crops and Diseases, B.P.I.S.A.E., A.R.A., U.S.D.A., and the Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station. Approved for publication as Journal Article No. 293, Miss. Agr. Exp. Station. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume45, Issue6June 1953Pages 268-269 RelatedInformation

SUMMARYBahia grass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) plants were grown in growth chambers at Gif, France, and at Gainesville in Florida, demonstrating that the species is a long-day plant and greatly influenced by light quality during the photosynthetic period. Flowering occurred in all instances when the middle of the dark period was interrupted with red or red + far-red light. With nightly interruptions of farred light, flowering occurred only when a sufficient quantity of far-red was present during the photosynthetic period. Plants grown under short days with nightly interruptions of red, far-red or red + far-red light had less starch accumulation and greater leaf growth and dry weight than plants grown without nightly light interruptions, whatever the light quality during the photosynthetic period. The treatments did not affect the partitioning of assimilates and flowering in the same way.

Summary. Observations have been made on the effects of maleic hydrazide (MH) and 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D), used singly or as a combined spray, on the vegetation of roadside verges, over a period of 3‐4 years (1958‐61). Each year, replicate plots were sprayed in spring, and assessments of growth and floristic composition of the vegetation, which was dominated by grasses, were usually made on three occasions. Treatment with MH, used singly, resulted in a general suppression of growth and flowering, particularly of the grasses. Well‐marked changes in the composition of the sward were attributable to MH, notably the decline of tufted forms, e.g. Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, and the rise to dominance of the rhizomatous grasses. These changes were associated with a progressive increase of some dicotyledonous plants, although this was effectively prevented by the combined spray of MH and 2,4‐D. Two of the commonest weeds, Anthriscus sylvestris and Heracleum sphondylium, were almost eliminated from plots treated with this combined spray for 3 successive years; a low sward, fairly free from dicotyledons and dominated by Poa rather than Festuca, usually resulted. Treatment with 2,4‐D alone, had relatively little effect on growth, flowering and proportion of the different grasses, but there was a reduction in the weed population.Les effets de l'hydrazide maléique et de l'acide 2,4‐dichlorophénoxyacétique sur la végetation au bord d'une route

Full sun trial gardens (full sun) were established at Leon County (LC) and Santa Rosa County (SRC), Florida, to evaluate the effect of site on horticultural performance traits pertinent to landscape use (long-term growth, flowering, vigor, overall quality, and survival) of native and nonnative warm season grasses when grown under low-input landscape conditions over a 3-year period. The gardens contained landscape fabric- (LC) or plastic (SRC)-covered rows, with the synthetic mulch at each site covered by 4 inches of hardwood chip mulch. Fifteen native and eight nonnative grass species, and cultivars were evaluated as were the two grass-like species black flowering sedge (Carex nigra) and narrowleaf silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia), a native dicot with grass-like foliage. Many of the native species were derived from seeds or plants collected from naturally occurring populations in Florida, and other species or cultivars were obtained from commercial sources. Based on quality ratings and survival, a majority of the species and cultivars were rated as at least being marginally acceptable for 2 years or more, but only six species and cultivars were rated as excellent or good over all 3 years. Four of these six species were native, with 100% survival at both sites occurring only for purpletop tridens (Tridens flavus). The other three native species, gulf hairawn muhly, (Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes), ‘Alamo’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and indian woodoats (Chasmanthium latifolium) had high rates of survival. Porcupine grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Strictus’) and ‘Cabaret’ silver grass (M. sinensis ssp. condensatus) were the only two nonnative species demonstrating potential for long-term performance in a low-input landscape at both sites. Three of the four cultivars of miscanthus (Miscanthus spp.) survived the entire evaluation period in SRC, while two cultivars suffered losses only in LC, demonstrating the importance of site effects on the long-term performance of individual species or cultivars of grasses. Chalky bluestem (Andropogon capillipes) (Orange County, FL), sand lovegrass (Eragrostis trichoides), giant silver grass (Miscanthus ×giganteus), and bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa) each survived 3 years at one site but only 1 year at the other site. Pineland threeawn (wiregrass) (Aristida stricta), ‘Red Baron’ cogon grass (japanese blood grass) (Imperata cylindrical), ‘Hameln’ fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides), black flowering fountain grass (P. alopecuroides ‘Moudry’), and ‘Feesey Form’ ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinaceae) were categorized as marginal for low-input landscapes and could only be considered short-term perennials under the conditions of this test. ‘Morning Light’ silver grass (M. sinensis), coastal bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum), and ‘Lometa’ indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) had good 2-year landscape performance and survived at least 2 years at both sites. Bigtop lovegrass (Eragrostis hirsuta), silver plumegrass (Saccharum alopecuroides), and lopsided indiangrass (Sorghastrum secundum) were categorized as having excellent 1-year landscape performance and have potential for short-term performance under low-input conditions. Chalky bluestem (Andropogon capillipes) (SRC), black flowering sedge, ‘Heavy Metal’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and narrowleaf silkgrass were categorized as having good 1-year landscape performance.

Rainfall variability is a key driver of ecosystem structure and function in grasslands worldwide. Changes in rainfall patterns predicted by global climate models for the central United States are expected to cause lower and increasingly variable soil water availability, which may impact net primary production and plant species composition in native Great Plains grasslands. We experimentally altered the timing and quantity of growing season rainfall inputs by lengthening inter-rainfall dry intervals by 50%, reducing rainfall quantities by 30%, or both, compared to the ambient rainfall regime in a native tallgrass prairie ecosystem in northeastern Kansas. Over three growing seasons, increased rainfall variability caused by altered rainfall timing with no change in total rainfall quantity led to lower and more variable soil water content (0-30 cm depth), an approximately 10% reduction in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), increased root to shoot ratios, and greater canopy photon flux density at 30 cm above the soil surface. Lower total ANPP primarily resulted from reduced growth, biomass and flowering of subdominant warm-season C4 grasses while productivity of the dominant C4 grass Andropogon gerardii was relatively unresponsive. In general, vegetation responses to increased soil water content variability were at least equal to those caused by imposing a 30% reduction in rainfall quantity without altering the timing of rainfall inputs. Reduced ANPP most likely resulted from direct effects of soil moisture deficits on root activity, plant water status, and photosynthesis. Altered rainfall regimes are likely to be an important element of climate change scenarios in this grassland, and the nature of interactions with other climate change elements remains a significant challenge for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change.

The preservation and popularization of the historical environment of the city represents the involvement of open spaces in social turnover. The purpose of the work is to characterize the floral design of historically developed urban gardens and parks of Udmurtia cities: Izhevsk, Sarapul, Glazov, Votkinsk. A brief history of the studied objects of culture and recreation is presented. The most important component of the aesthetic appeal of gardens and parks is floral decoration. The emotional state of citizens depends on the quality and decorativeness of the floral decoration of recreation areas. 404 objects of floral decoration were examined using the route method. There are 15 types of floral decoration in the studied area. The features of the typical composition of floral decoration of gardens and parks of Udmurtia cities are noted. A brief description of the qualitative and decorative condition of flower beds is given. The disadvantages of floral design were revealed: poor quality care of plants, flower beds without using the laws of composition, abandoned flower beds of perennials. The positive side can be considered the extensive species composition of perennial flower and ornamental crops. In total, 98 species of ornamental herbaceous plants have been identified and identified in gardens and parks. Annual crops – 27 species, perennial – 71 species. Highly decorative flower beds are marked, only in gardens and parks of Izhevsk. There are 23% of flower beds in the Kirov Central Park and in the Summer Garden named after Gorky's 19% of flower beds have a high decorative rating (4 points). In second place are the flower beds of Glazov gardens and parks. The city parks of Sarapul and Votkinsk have remained at the level of previous decades in terms of their level of well-being, they need to be revitalized in accordance with new concepts of the organization of city parks. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time an assessment was given of the quality and decorativeness of the floral decoration of the historically formed recreation areas of the cities of Udmurtia.

Photoperiodic flowering has been extensively studied in the annual short-day and long-day plants rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), whereas less is known about the control of flowering in perennials. In the perennial wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca (Rosaceae), short-day and perpetual flowering long-day accessions occur. Genetic analyses showed that differences in their flowering responses are caused by a single gene, SEASONAL FLOWERING LOCUS, which may encode the F. vesca homolog of TERMINAL FLOWER1 (FvTFL1). We show through high-resolution mapping and transgenic approaches that FvTFL1 is the basis of this change in flowering behavior and demonstrate that FvTFL1 acts as a photoperiodically regulated repressor. In short-day F. vesca, long photoperiods activate FvTFL1 mRNA expression and short days suppress it, promoting flower induction. These seasonal cycles in FvTFL1 mRNA level confer seasonal cycling of vegetative and reproductive development. Mutations in FvTFL1 prevent long-day suppression of flowering, and the early flowering that then occurs under long days is dependent on the F. vesca homolog of FLOWERING LOCUS T. This photoperiodic response mechanism differs from those described in model annual plants. We suggest that this mechanism controls flowering within the perennial growth cycle in F. vesca and demonstrate that a change in a single gene reverses the photoperiodic requirements for flowering.

Perennial ornamental grasses are often recommended for rain gardens, but few data support their use. We conducted two experiments to evaluate the ability of ornamental grass cultivars to grow while subjected to cyclical flooding, submergence, and drought typical of rain gardens. Our objectives were to determine the effects of cyclical flood and drought (Expt. 1) and submergence depth and duration (Expt. 2) on grass growth and survival. Seven cultivars were evaluated during greenhouse trials, including Pixie Fountain tufted hairgrass [Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.], Northwind switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), Red October big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), Purpurascens Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis Andersson), Blue Heaven® little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash], Blonde Ambition blue grama grass [Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths], and Karl Foerster feather reed grass [Calamagrostis ×acutiflora (Schrad.) DC]. During Expt. 1, grasses underwent four cycles of flooding duration (2 days or 7 days) followed by drought (drying to volumetric soil water contents of 0.14 or 0.07 cm3·cm−3). During Expt. 2, grasses were cyclically submerged at 15 or 30 cm above the soil surface for 2, 4, or 7 days, followed by floodwater removal and drainage for 2 days before being resubmerged. Cyclical submergence continued until the 7-day submergence treatments completed four cycles. Both experiments were replicated in a full factorial randomized complete block design. Controls were included in both experiments. Plants were measured to determine plant height, shoot count, visual damage rating, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight. Floodwater chemistry and soil reducing conditions were measured during Expt. 2. Chinese silvergrass and switchgrass survived cyclical soil flooding/drought and submergence for 7 days at a depth of 30 cm while maintaining acceptable foliar damage. All grasses survived cyclical flood and drought when the soil volumetric water content was maintained at 14%, suggesting they can withstand periodic soil flooding as long as the water is not too deep. As water depth and duration increased from 4 days to 7 days, little bluestem, blue grama grass, and feather reed grass experienced significant foliar damage. Tufted hair grass and big bluestem experienced significant foliar damage when submerged for 2 days. Our results showed that perennial ornamental grasses can tolerate cyclical flood and drought and periodic submergence, but that plant conditions and survival vary, which can inform strategic plant placement within rain gardens, bioretention basins, and other stormwater management systems.

Ornamental grasses are commonly used in urban landscapes in Utah and the Intermountain West of the United States. The relative salt tolerance of Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. (purple love grass), Miscanthus sinensis Andersson ‘Gracillimus’ (maiden grass), Panicum virgatum L. ‘Northwind’ (switchgrass), and Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash (little bluestem) were evaluated in a greenhouse. Plants were irrigated with a nutrient solution at an electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.2 dS·m–1 (control), or saline solution at an EC of 5.0 or 10.0 dS·m–1. At harvest (65 days after the initiation of treatment), P. virgatum and S. scoparium exhibited no foliar salt damage, and E. spectabilis and M. sinensis had minimal foliar salt damage when irrigated with saline solution at an EC of 5.0 dS·m–1. At an EC of 10.0 dS·m–1, P. virgatum and S. scoparium still had no foliar salt damage, but E. spectabilis and M. sinensis displayed slight foliar salt damage, with visual scores greater than 3 (0 = dead; 5 = excellent). Compared with the control, saline solution at an EC of 5.0 and 10.0 dS·m–1 reduced the shoot dry weight of all ornamental grasses by 25% and 46%, respectively. The leaf sodium (Na+) concentration of E. spectabilis, M. sinensis, P. virgatum, and S. scoparium irrigated with saline solution at an EC of 10.0 dS·m–1 increased 14.3, 52.6, 5.3, and 1.7 times, respectively, and the chloride (Cl–) concentration increased by 9.4, 11.1, 2.8, and 2.7 times, respectively. As a result of the salt-induced water deficit, plant height, leaf area, number of inflorescences and tillers, net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gS), and transpiration rate of four tested ornamental grasses decreased to some extent. Although high Na+ and Cl– accumulated in the leaf tissue, all ornamental grass species still had a good visual quality, with average visual scores greater than 3. In conclusion, all ornamental grasses showed a very strong tolerance to the salinity levels used in this research.

Dust is a feature of the natural environment that can be exacerbated by anthropogenic activities. A range of physiological impacts have been attributed to dust deposition on plant leaves, including altered gas exchange and reduced photosynthetic activity—traits associated with yield and overall productivity. Substantially increased traffic along rural unpaved roads following the development of shale petroleum deposits in the Bakken region of North Dakota, USA, prompted us to investigate the effect of heavy dust exposure on economically important annual crops and perennial forage grasses. In a greenhouse study, we exposed six species of annual plants (barley Hordeum vulgare, durum wheat Triticum durum, maize Zea mays, sorghum Sorghum bicolor, lentil Lens culinaris, pinto bean Phaseolus vulgaris, sunflower Helianthus annuus) and eight species of perennial grasses (creeping bentgrass Agrostis stolonifera, crested wheatgrass Agropyron cristatum, intermediate wheatgrass Thinopyrum intermedium, tall fescue Schedonorus arundinaceus, Bermuda grass Cynodon dactylon, blue grama Bouteloua gracilis, buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides, switchgrass Panicum virgatum) to 40 g of scoria road dust every other day for 10 and 14 days, respectively, resulting in cumulative dust exposure of 200 g/m $$^{2}$$ for annual plants and 280 g/m $$^{2}$$ for perennial grasses. Chlorophyll concentration tended to increase in all annual plants within 1–2 h of dust exposure, which remained high (along with photosynthetic yield) over the duration of the study. Stomatal conductance tended to decrease over the 2-week study period, which was expected, while leaf temperature also decreased for most species, which was contrary to previous research. Conversely, we found little evidence that high levels of dust reduce the ability of perennial grasses to recover from repeated defoliation, regardless of photosynthetic pathway or functional group. While perennial grass growth appears unaffected by the heavy dust emissions produced by traffic associated with energy extraction, the effect on annual plants is difficult to determine because dust might actually have a positive, light-scattering effect that improves plant performance.

Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. is a widely used ornamental grass, particularly in home and landscape gardens, because of its soft appearance and high quality. One of main problem is its low growth rate. Therefore, specific cultural techniques are required to accelerate its growth while maintaining its attractive appearance. This experiment was aimed to study the effect of sod size and planting distance of Zoysia mairella. on grass growth and development. The experiment was conducted at the IPB experimental station at Darmaga IV, Bogor, for 8 months and was completed in August 1990. The trials used a split plot design with 2 factors and 3 replications. Treatment consisted of 2 planting distances i.e. (20 x 20) cm and (25 x 25) cm, and 4 sod sizes, i.e. (2 x 2) cm, (5 x 5) cm, (8 x 8) cm, and (10 x 10) cm. The variables observed were percentage of coverage, rate of coverage, quality of leaf color quality of appearance, and uniformity of growth. The results indicated that population density did not significantly affect variables observed except for uniformity of growth. Hence, the larger the sod size, the higher its rate of coverage and the more uniform its appearance, but the lower its quality of appearance. Statistically, the sod size significantly affected the percentage of coverage, rate of coverage, quality of appearance, and uniformity of growth

Effect of the composition of planting media on the growth of pearl grass variagated (Axonopus Compresuss). Pearl grass variagated (Axonopus compresuss), is a kind of ornamental grass used as landscape grass or carpet grass. Planting pearl grass variegated at this time, just plowing land, only ultisol. These conditions cause the growth of slow grass, easy soil erosion, then it takes quite a long time to cover the land. Because Ultisol is poor for nutrients and has a solid soil structure, it requires a mixture of organic composition to add nutrients and improve soil structure to loose. Therefore Organic materials used such as sawdust and cow dung manure. The objective of the research is knowing the composition of planting media consists of, Ultisol (PMK), sawdust (SG) and cow‘s manure (KS) on planting of pearl grass variegated. Planting is done on the map with size 0.5 m x 0.5 m. This research used Completely Randomized Design () with 6 treatments, 5 replicates, each replication consist 25 plant and sampling 20%. Treatment for compositions such as m0 (PMK 100%), m1 (PMK 75%: SG 25%), m2 (PMK 75%: PS 25%), m3 (PMK 50%: SG50%), m4 (PMK 50%: PS 50%), m5 (PMK 50%, PS 25%, SG 25%). The research was done for approximately 3 months from mid August to November 2017 in experimental garden Faculty of Agriculture UNTAN. The Research shows that the composition of planting media have significant effect on observation variables, such as number of tillers, stolon length, cover area, root length and dry weight. The result of this research shows, the treatmen of m4(PMK 50% : PS 50%) has higher value among of other treatment.

Five ornamental grasses {little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash], prairie dropseed [Sporobolus heterolepis (A. Gray) A. Gray], feather reedgrass [Calamagrostis ×acutiflora(Schrad.) DC. `Karl Foerster'], flamegrass (Miscanthus Anderss. `Purpurascens'), and variegated Japanese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensisAnderss. `Variegatus')} were propagated by transplanting plugs or field divisions into 480-mL (10-cm round), 2.7-L (no. 1), and 6.2-L (no. 2) nursery containers with media ratios (v/v) of 0:1, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 1:0 rice hulls to sand, resulting in aeration porosities in 2.7-L containers of 5%, 12%, 22%, 28%, and 41%, respectively. Planting dates were between 28 Oct and 10 Nov. 1997; 30 Apr. and 7 May 1998; and 23-28 Oct. 1998 and 1-10 May 1999. Plants were covered with plastic and straw from the second week in November until the second week in April. Winter survival was evaluated 6 weeks after uncovering and for finished dates every 2 weeks thereafter. Species had a significant effect on overwintering survival, but container size and media did not. Sporobolus heterolepis and M. sinensis `Variegatus' had significantly lower overwintering survival than the other species. Container size significantly influenced growth; the 6.2-L containers had the highest values for all growth parameters. Growth response to media was a weak (nonsignificant) quadratic response, indicating for these species no clear trend for the best media aeration porosity.