Simulated traffic on turfgrasses during drought stress: I. Performance and recovery of turf canopies

Abstract

AbstractDuring drought, golf course turf continues to receive golf cart traffic, which may compound conditions of drought stress. Our objectives in a 2‐yr field study were to evaluate responses in turf canopy variables of (a) green cover (GC) and (b) turf quality (TQ) from the impact of golf cart traffic during a 41‐d summer drought and subsequent 40‐d recovery without traffic on two cool‐season (C3) [Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)] and two warm‐season (C4) turfgrasses {buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm: syn. Bouteloua dactyloides (Nutt.) J.T. Columbus} and zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.)} maintained at golf course fairway and rough mowing heights. Better drought tolerance of C4 than C3 turfgrasses resulted in higher TQ and GC of C4 turfgrasses during drought and faster recovery regardless of traffic or mowing height. Compared with nontrafficked plots at the end of drought, traffic at rough height reduced GC by 43% in C4 turfgrasses and 33% in perennial ryegrass, while traffic at fairway height reduced GC by 26% in C4 turfgrasses but had negligible effects on GC in C3 turfgrasses. Except for Kentucky bluegrass in year two, all turf species recovered from cart traffic stress during drought and returned to acceptable TQ and high GC upon rewatering in both years. Results indicate cart traffic during drought accelerates declines in TQ and GC, which vary among species and heights, and traffic will impact turf aesthetics more severely at rough than at fairway mowing heights, so golf course superintendents should monitor and manage traffic at rough heights more closely.