Mowing Frequency Research Articles

Influence of different plant growth retardants in Mexican lawn grass (Zoysia matrella) for reducing the mowing frequency and better visual qualities

Mexican lawn grass (Zoysia matrella) is a perennial mat-forming species suited for the landscaping industry due to its versatile adaptability. The pleasing appearance of the lawn grasses can be achieved through mowing at regular intervals to avoid a shabby appearance, which requires skilled persons and ends up with expensive operation. Under these circumstances, the experiment was intended with the commonly available growth regulators for their efficiency in the reduction of the mowing cycle without losing or hampering their visual quality attributes. The application of 1.0% chlormequat chloride (T4) produced a mean grass leaf length of 2.00 cm, which was remarkably lower than that of control (T9), i.e., 4.87 cm. The same pattern of growth was exhibited during the 45th and 90th days after spraying. The mean turf shoot length (7.80 cm) and root length (13.40 cm) were observed in the control plots, while the application of 1.0% chlormequat chloride (T4) produced 3.83 cm and 7.94 cm, respectively, determining its ability to hamper the growth of turf grass. The Z. matrella grass failed to produce flower heads by the application of 1.0% mepiquat chloride (T2), 0.5% chlormequat chloride (T3), 1.0% chlormequat chloride (T4), 0.5% maleic hydrazide (T7) and 1.0% maleic hydrazide (T8). The control plots devoid of growth regulators initiate flower heads after 70 days. From the study, the application of 0.5% chlormequat chloride (T3) and 1.0% chlormequat chloride (T4) exerted a low level of thatch accumulation and no flower head formation was observed with maximal visual scoring, leading to the commercial expeditions for the turf industry.

Field margin management for promoting plant diversity—A functional approach to investigating the effects of multiple measures on plant community dynamics

Strategies to counteract the loss of arable plant diversity often target field margins. Yet there is still need for research on how arable plant diversity is impacted by the type, scale and diversity of margin management. To assess this experimentally, we combined five measures imposing different disturbance regimes (flower-strip mown twice a year, tilling in spring or autumn, adding sand as substrate, and frequent mowing as a control) at two spatial scales.We explored how plant community dynamics are affected by both single measures and their combination. We addressed four hypotheses: H1) single measures shift community weighted mean (CWM) values of functional traits and reduce the within-measure community weighted standard deviation (CWSD) of these traits; H2) heavy disturbance (early tilling and sand) causes taxonomic and functional diversity (alpha-diversity) to increase over time; H3) combining different measures increases dissimilarity (beta-diversity) and thus gamma-diversity across measures; and H4) increased spatial heterogeneity of measures promotes all levels of diversity.We found shifts in CWM and reduced CWSD in flower-strips (smaller seed mass, perennial lifespan) and late-tilling (later flowering-onset) whereas sand and early-tilling tended to increase CWSD (H1). Trends across measures indicate shifts towards species with competitive strategies (H1). Compared to frequently mown controls, heavy disturbance (sand and early-tilling) promoted alpha-diversity over time, despite lower initial diversity. Moderate disturbance (flower-strip, late tilling) initially promoted alpha-diversity, but diversity then did not increase further (H2). Combining different measures promoted diversity compared to single measures, but the similarity between measures increased over time (H3). Scale played a minor role in determining community-composition (H4).Disturbance regimes imposed by different management of field margins shape the functional composition of arable plant communities. Strategies combining different measures help to balance initial benefits of moderate disturbance with the longer-term diversity gains from heavier disturbance.

Performance of Different Cool-Season Species and Cultivars Overseeded on Bermudagrass and Managed with Autonomous Mower

With global warming, the cultivation area of bermudagrass is moving northwards in the Mediterranean area despite its winter dormancy and loss of green color. The most common solution is overseeding with perennial ryegrass, which can be complicated to remove in spring. DLF breeders have released a new cultivar of annual ryegrass that is stress tolerant and easy to transition in spring. A trial was carried out on a sod farm in Pisa, Italy. Twenty-nine varieties of cool-season grasses, encompassing both forage and turf species, were overseeded on a hybrid bermudagrass variety ‘Tifway’ (Cynodon dactylon x transvaalensis). The aim of this trial was to compare the overseeding potential of various cool-season turfgrass species and cultivars and to identify which ones perform best in terms of cleanness of cut when overseeded on hybrid bermudagrass in autumn and maintained at a mowing height of 25 mm. Moreover, the following parameters were also assessed: actual turf height (cm); cumulated height (cm); turf visual color and quality (1–9 scale); and visual ground cover (%). Plots were managed with an autonomous mower, which adopted a daily mowing frequency and was set to work with systematic trajectories. The results showed differences between cultivars, and the annual ryegrass showed the best spring transition (scoring a mean value of 96% green cover in July 2023) compared to the other entries. The best result of CoC was measured for rough-stalked meadow grass ‘Sabrena 1’ and tall fescue ‘Turfway’ with 0.9 mm.

Kitchen Waste Digestate and Digestate Biochar Fertilizer for Turfgrass Management and Nutrient Leaching

Slow-release fertilizer is generally used in turfgrass management to maintain quality turf without inducing excess vertical growth, to avoid frequent mowing. This study was designed to verify whether kitchen waste digestate and digestate biochar could serve as slow-release fertilizers to promote turf quality and reduce nutrient leaching risk in two turfgrass species over two years in controlled pot experiments. The results showed that the nutrient release of granular fertilizers made from kitchen waste digestate and digestate biochar was a two-phase process (an initial rapid phase, followed by a slow-release phase). The kitchen waste digestate showed higher nitrogen and phosphorus release ratios than the biochar and sheep manure. Compared to the reference sheep manure, fertilization with kitchen waste digestate and biochar increased the leaf chlorophyll content by 48.6% and 27.9%, and reduced senescent leaves by 15.6% and 11.1%, respectively, at 23 d after fertilization, leading to higher turf quality. Fertilization with kitchen waste digestate biochar significantly reduced the nutrient leaching risk compared to fertilization with kitchen waste digestate and sheep manure. Our results demonstrated the potential of reusing kitchen waste digestate and digestate biochar as slow-release fertilizers for promoting turf quality in turfgrass management.

Plant responses to urban gradients: Extinction, plasticity, adaptation

Abstract Biodiversity‐oriented urban management and planning require information on the drivers of wildlife composition and ecosystem function within cities. Urban landscapes impose environmental gradients along which species may be filtered away, or respond by showing adaptive variation in functional trait values. Such trait variation may in turn be due to a species' phenotypic plasticity, or a consequence of microevolution leading to local adaptation. This study investigates three possible plant responses to urban environmental gradients, with different evolutionary consequences: extinction, plasticity and adaptation. We assessed whether individual functional traits (LMA—leaf mass per area, plant height and flower length), population performance traits (seed mass and germination rate), as well as species frequency in the plant community, responded to gradients in mowing frequency, soil fertility and structure, temperature and surrounding mean building height, among four herbaceous plant species present in the metropolitan area of Strasbourg. Using a common garden experiment, we tested whether the observed trait variation was hereditary, and may thus constitute evidence for local adaptation. Our results detected the three types of expected responses. Plantago lanceolata is plastic to urban gradients, and Trifolium pratense showed both plastic and hereditary responses. Dactylis glomerata and Medicago lupulina showed all three responses: they both declined under increasing mowing frequency, were plastic to surrounding mean building height, and showed hereditary responses to different urban gradients. Urban management and planning therefore impact on the evolutionary capabilities of plants in cities. In the case of management this is highlighted by the detected trends in species' traits and frequency in response to mowing. The consequences of urban planning are evidenced by mean building height eliciting most often plastic and adaptive responses. Synthesis. Herbaceous plants often change their morphology in response to urban conditions: grass cutting, altered soils, warmer temperatures and being surrounded by tightly packed buildings. These changes are sometimes hereditary, which suggests that city management and planning affect the ability of plants to survive and evolve in urban environments.

Why mow?: A review of the resulting ecosystem services and disservices from mowing turfgrass

AbstractTurfgrasses are those grasses that tolerate frequent mowing. The act of mowing turfgrasses, primarily lawn mowing, has received much negative attention primarily due to its labor requirement and the resulting mower emissions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the benefits and drawbacks of mowing grasses, specifically turfgrasses used on lawns, parks, golf courses, and sports fields, using an ecosystem services and disservices framework. Discussed is the challenge of creating a “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach to selecting the best mowing management practices and sociocultural tensions that exist related to lawn mowing. Discussion also includes the benefits and value gained from mowing turfgrass and strategies to mitigate ecosystem disservices that result from mowing.

Trade-offs between grassland plant biodiversity and yields are heterogenous across Germany

Grasslands are key for food security and provide important ecosystem services. Intensive management, such as frequent mowing, increases productivity but decreases other ecosystem services as well as plant biodiversity. We here estimate large scale effects of mowing frequency on plant species richness and provide spatial assessments of yield-species richness trade-offs. We use a unique, multisource remote sensing-based dataset covering all permanent agricultural grassland fields across Germany (N = 1,313,073) over four years to estimate the causal impact of mowing frequency, as a proxy of grassland management intensity, on plant species richness. We identify spatially explicit and heterogeneous treatment effects using generalized random forests. We find that more frequent mowing significantly reduces plant species richness, but these effects vary by environmental and socioeconomic context. We quantify the trade-offs between species richness and yield due to changes in mowing frequency, finding an average cost of 126 euros per additional plant species, and demonstrate how spatial targeting can improve the cost-effectiveness of a hypothetical conservation policy, reducing this cost to 51 euros per species. Motivated by the 30 by 30 goal to protect 30% of terrestrial ecosystems by 2030, we further estimate opportunity cost of marginally extensifying 30% of German grasslands to be 131–181 million euros annually, depending on targeting priorities.

Phytoremediation of Pb-polluted soil using bermudagrass: Effect of mowing frequencies

Plant lead (Pb) tolerance and accumulation are key characteristics affecting phytoremediation efficiency. Bermudagrass is an excellent candidate for the remediation of Pb-polluted soil, and it needs to be mowed regularly. Here, we explored the effect of different mowing frequencies on the remediation of Pb-contaminated soil using bermudagrass. Mowing was found to decrease the biomass and photosynthetic efficiency of bermudagrass under Pb stress, thereby inhibiting its growth. Although mowing exacerbated membrane peroxidation, successive mowing treatments alleviated peroxidation damage by regulating enzymatic and nonenzymatic systems. A comprehensive evaluation of Pb tolerance revealed that all the mowing treatments reduced the Pb tolerance of bermudagrass, and a once-per-month mowing frequency had a less negative effect on Pb tolerance than did more frequent mowing. In terms of Pb enrichment, mowing significantly increased the Pb concentration, total Pb accumulation, translocation factor (TF), and bioenrichment factor (BCF) of bermudagrass. The total Pb accumulation was greatest under the once-a-month treatment, while the TF and BCF values were greatest under the three-times-a-month mowing treatment. Additionally, the decrease in soil pH and DOC were significantly correlated with the soil available Pb content and plant Pb accumulation parameters. The results showed that changes in the rhizosphere are crucial factors regulating Pb uptake in bermudagrass during mowing. Overall, once-a-month mowing minimally affects Pb tolerance and maximizes Pb accumulation, making it the optimal mowing frequency for soil Pb remediation by bermudagrass. This study provides a novel approach for the remediation of Pb-contaminated soil with bermudagrass based on mowing.

The day after mowing: Time and type of mowing influence grassland arthropods.

Recent losses in the abundance and diversity of arthropods have been documented in many regions and ecosystems. In grasslands, such insect declines are largely attributed to land use, including modern machinery and mowing regimes. However, the effects of different mowing techniques on arthropods remain poorly understood. Using 11 years of data from 111 agricultural grassland plots across Germany, we analyzed the influence of various grassland management variables on the abundance and abundance-accounted species richness of four arthropod orders: Araneae, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and Orthoptera. The analysis focused on detailed mowing information, for example, days after mowing and mower type, and compared their effect with other aspects of grassland management, that is, rolling, leveling, fertilization, and grazing. We found strong negative effects of mowing on all four arthropod orders, with arthropod abundance being lowest directly after mowing and steadily increasing to three to seven times the abundance after 100 days post-mowing. Likewise, Hemiptera and Coleoptera species richness was 30% higher 100 days after mowing. Mower width showed a positive effect on Orthoptera abundance, but not on the other arthropods. Arthropod abundance and Coleoptera species richness were lowest when a mulcher was used compared to rotary or bar mowers. In addition to mowing, intensive grazing negatively affected Orthoptera abundance but not the other orders. Mowing represents a highly disturbing and iterative stressor with negative effects on arthropod abundance and diversity, likely contributed by mowing-induced mortality and habitat alteration. While modifications of mowing techniques such as mower type or mowing height and width may help to reduce the negative impact of mowing on arthropods, our results show that mowing itself has the most substantial negative effect. Based on our results, we suggest that reduced mowing frequency, omission of mowing in parts of the grassland (refuges), or extensive grazing instead of mowing have the greatest potential to promote arthropod populations.

Integration of the landscape of fear concept in grassland management: An experimental study on subtropical monsoon grasslands in Bardia National Park, Nepal.

The 'landscape of fear' concept offers valuable insights into wildlife behaviour, yet its practical integration into habitat management for conservation remains underexplored. In this study, conducted in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal, we aimed to bridge this gap through a multi-year, landscape-scale experimental investigation in Bardia National Park, Nepal. The park has the highest density of tigers (with an estimated density of ~7 individuals per 100 km2) in Nepal, allowing us to understand the effect of habitat management on predation risk and resource availability especially for three cervid species: chital (Axis axis), swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) and hog deer (Axis porcinus). We used plots with varying mowing frequency (0-4 times per year), size (ranging from small: 49 m2 to large: 3600 m2) and artificial fertilisation type (none, phosphorus, nitrogen) to assess the trade-offs between probable predation risk and resources for these cervid species, which constitute primary prey for tigers in Nepal. Our results showed distinct responses of these deer to perceived predation risk within grassland habitats. Notably, these deer exhibited heightened use of larger plots, indicative of a perceived sense of safety, as evidenced by the higher occurrence of pellet groups in the larger plots (mean = 0.1 pellet groups m-2 in 3600 m2 plots vs. 0.07 in 400 m2 and 0.05 in 49 m2 plots). Furthermore, the level of use by the deer was significantly higher in larger plots that received mowing and fertilisation treatments compared to smaller plots subjected to similar treatments. Of particular interest is the observation that chital and swamp deer exhibited greater utilisation of the centre (core) areas within the larger plots (mean = 0.21 pellet groups m-2 at the centre vs. 0.13 at the edge) despite the edge (periphery) also provided attractive resources to these deer. In contrast, hog deer did not display any discernible reaction to the experimental treatments, suggesting potential species-specific variations in response to perceived predation risk arising from management interventions. Our findings emphasise the importance of a sense of security as a primary determinant of habitat selection for medium-sized deer within managed grassland environments. These insights carry practical implications for park managers, providing a nuanced understanding of integrating the 'landscape of fear' into habitat management strategies. This study emphasises that the 'landscape of fear' conceptcan and should be integrated into habitat management to maintain delicate predator-prey dynamics within ecosystems.

Adding a mosaic mowing regime to urban lawns is the key to city biodiversity management for pollinators

City populations are growing rapidly, with built-up areas occupying ever-larger areas within the cities. One of the last green places in a city is urban lawns. Our study aimed to investigate how lawn management changes can contribute to improving insect pollinator biodiversity at the city scale. Over two years, we studied dozens of urban lawns in Prague (Czech Republic) that were partially left unmown, and we selected three major groups of pollinators: Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. This study showed that leaving unmown lawn areas has a strong positive effect on insect biodiversity. The high intensity of lawn flowering through the vegetation season was also crucial. Our research showed that leaving unmown parts of urban lawns is one of the key amendments to maintain or even increase pollinator biodiversity in cities. It also appears to be the best way to attract red-listed species. A significant reducing mowing frequency to achieve a higher flowering intensity should be a positive solution. So-called insect gardening by reducing urban lawn mowing frequency or leaving parts of lawns completely unmown can help not only pollinators but also other animals that find food or shelter in them. This management will also enable the propagation of flowering plants. Additionally, biodiversity measures coincide with reducing evapotranspiration and thus cooling urban heat islands.

Defining preferred turfgrass features for lawn choice for Floridian homeowners

Turfgrass lawns provide many environmental benefits, including temperature moderation, soil stabilization in urban centers, and surface water runoff reduction in the rapidly urbanizing societies. Recently, more sustainable management of urban vegetation have arisen to encourage Florida homeowners to shift from high-input (e.g., fertilizer, water) to low-input landscapes through initiatives such as the Florida Friendly Landscapes and Florida Water Star Programs. To support the water conservation programs in Florida, and better understand homeowners' lawn choices, the objective of this study is to identify and evaluate homeowners' preferred turfgrass features for lawn choices and understand the context of promoting sustainable landscaping practices in the state of Florida. Approximately 1000 Florida homeowners were surveyed online and ranked their most preferred turfgrass features out of a set of 12 alternatives. A rank-ordered logit model was utilized to evaluate Florida homeowners’ preferences for different turfgrass features and determine if they influence turfgrass selection for Florida homeowners. The results showed that the top features were drought tolerance, color, frequency of mowing, disease resistance, and pest tolerance. Identification and communication of water proficient, low fertilizer input turfgrass cultivars that are tolerant to environmental stresses (e.g., drought, traffic, shade) are needed in Florida. Policymakers should promote strategies to combat drought tolerant cultivars. Extension agents should educate homeowners on grass dormancy and drought tolerance (affecting color change) as well as promote disease resistance and pest tolerant species through the Florida Friendly Landscape and WaterStar Programs.

Prototype Biodiversity Digital Twin: grassland biodiversity dynamics

European grassland management has often favoured high production through frequent mowing and heavy fertilisation over biodiversity conservation, which is typically supported by less intensive management. Besides management, climate change and extremes are increasingly affecting grassland productivity and biodiversity, requiring timely adaptation of management practices. Here, we describe the development of a prototype Digital Twin (pDT) of grassland biodiversity dynamics intended to support researchers, farmers or regulatory decision-makers in monitoring the current state of selected grassland sites and projecting their future state under various management and climate scenarios.

Grassland management intensity determines root development, soil structure, and their interrelationship: Results of a regional study of Leptosols in the Swabian Alps

AbstractBackgroundSoil structure is a key indicator of the functioning of soil processes in grasslands, which is influenced by site conditions and management.MethodsIn this study, we investigated soil structure and its relationship with root growth in 31 Leptosols under different grassland management intensities using X‐ray microcomputed tomography. A close relationship between land use intensity, soil structure, and root growth was observed.ResultsOur results show that land use type affects root development and soil structure. Pastures had more developed roots and more structured soils than meadows and mown pastures. However, all pastures were unfertilized, while meadows and mown pastures had both fertilized and unfertilized plots. Although no significant differences were found in the unfertilized plots, sample size was limited. In particular, fertilization negatively affected root growth and soil structure, resulting in significant differences between fertilized and unfertilized grasslands. Mowing frequency also had an effect on soil physics, but to a much lesser extent than fertilization.ConclusionsIncreased land use intensity, characterized by increased fertilization and more frequent mowing, reduces root growth and adversely affects soil structure. Therefore, X‐ray microcomputed tomography is a suitable method to investigate the relationship between soil structure and roots in the soil.

Bridging biodiversity and gardening: Unravelling the interplay of socio-demographic factors, garden practices, and garden characteristics

The expansion of urban areas threatens biodiversity and disrupts ecological relationships, thereby impeding key ecosystem services. To avert irreversible consequences, there is a focus on improving the biodiversity value of domestic gardens. We employ machine learning and network analysis and examine gardening practices and garden owners’ environmental consciousness in Hungary through a questionnaire-based study to untangle the interplay among socio-demographic factors, garden management and -characteristics. We found that the activities determined as biodiversity-positive were widespread among respondents, but ubiquitous pesticide use (62.14%), lack of undisturbed areas (49.52%), and frequent mowing (32.06%) were also present. Middle-aged respondents demonstrated more biodiversity-supporting activities than those over 55, who had long-term gardening experience and were predominantly conventional gardeners. Respondents of towns showed the least biodiversity-positive activities, whereas those living in cities and the countryside fared better. Additionally, multiple interconnected garden characteristics revealed various types of gardens distinguished by care practices and use, such as gardens for food self-provisioning, ornamental gardens, or those prioritizing biodiversity support. Our results show that garden owners use pesticides independently of socio-demographic parameters, gardening practices, or garden characteristics, suggesting widespread pesticide use in Hungary. Our findings suggest that strategies to promote biodiversity-friendly gardening may not be equally suitable for all gardener owners with different cultural backgrounds, environmental consciousness and gardening habits. Factors like differences between societal groups underscore the preference for in-person programs over online information transfer in several cases, for instance, among the elderly and those living in the countryside. We offer fresh perspectives on the intricate connections between garden diversity, characteristics, and practices, and it lays the groundwork for future research into the sociological drivers of gardening practices in Eastern Europe. Our work emphasises that optimizing gardens for multiple ecosystem services, including biodiversity conservation and enhancing human well-being, requires a nuanced understanding of both ecological and socio-demographic factors.

Assessing landscape-level effects of permanent grassland management and landscape configuration on open-land butterflies based on national monitoring data

Halting and reversing the ongoing insect decline requires in-depth knowledge on key drivers. Due to their sensitivity to habitat quality, butterflies are valuable indicators for grassland management intensity, including mowing. However, most studies examining mowing regime impacts on butterflies are limited to small spatial extents. Here, we tested the potential of citizen science butterfly monitoring data for assessing landscape-level effects of mowing regimes (number of mowing events and timing of the first event) and edge density (density of boundaries between different land-cover types) on butterfly richness, abundance, and community composition. We used generalised linear mixed-effects models to relate nationwide data from the German Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (DEBMS) to high-resolution satellite imagery on mowing events in permanent grasslands (grasslands excluded from crop rotation). As butterfly transects may not consistently be located within grasslands, we ran our models for different thresholds from 0 to 50%, representing increasing shares of the transect route situated within permanent grasslands (10% intervals). We did not find significant associations between mowing regimes and butterflies when focussing on species richness and abundance of all species inhabiting open land. However, we found strong positive associations of delayed mowing with the abundance of grassland specialists with increasing grassland shares per transect. Further, we found negative associations of delayed mowing with the annual number of generations and of more frequent mowing with the abundance of specialists, depending on the share of grassland per transect. Edge density had a positive association with species richness and abundance of species inhabiting open land, as well as abundance of grassland indicator species and grassland specialists in landscapes with a low grassland share per transect. Our findings underscore the importance of low-intensity managed permanent grasslands at the landscape scale for specialised butterflies. Additionally, we highlight the importance of a high density of boundaries for open-land and specialised butterflies, particularly in landscapes with highly fragmented permanent grasslands. To improve future analyses of grassland management impacts, we recommend expanding DEBMS monitoring sites to cover a larger grassland management intensity gradient and to place more transects within grasslands.

Preliminary Assessment of Alfalfa Crop Trap Strategy in Regulating Natural Predators for Aphis gossypii Glover Control

Aphis gossypii Glover is an important pest in cotton plantations. Medicago sativa L. (alfalfa) is a host plant for the aphid Aphis craccivora Koch and may prove to be an important reservoir of natural enemies to combat this pest. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of different mowing frequencies of alfalfa traps on A. gossypii and their natural enemies, using both ground survey data and UAV remote sensing data. The alfalfa was mowed twice to facilitate the transfer of this primary natural enemy to the cotton fields. Ground surveys were carried out every five days to gather data, while temporal niche and niche overlap methods were used for further analysis. Findings collected over a period ranging from day 31 to day 91 indicated that compared to their counterparts with no alfalfa traps, the cotton fields containing these pest control measures demonstrated a reduction in the A. gossypii population of approximately 16%. A survey conducted 5 days after mowing the alfalfa on days 61 and 71 found that the cotton fields with alfalfa traps experienced a 24.14% and 26.09% reduction in A. gossypii numbers. In contrast, the cotton fields without alfalfa traps experienced a 76.92% and 55.08% increase in cotton aphid numbers during the same period. It is noteworthy that the cotton fields with alfalfa traps showed a delayed onset of cotton aphid damage of approximately 5 days compared to the fields without alfalfa traps. This discovery has significant implications for understanding the ecological control mechanism of A. gossypii within alfalfa traps. Planting alfalfa traps around fields in Xinjiang could be promoted as a method to prevent and control aphid damage.

Heathland management affects soil response to drought

Abstract Drought can affect ecosystem functioning by altering plant–soil interactions, posing a significant threat to vulnerable ecosystems like heathlands. In heathlands, ongoing nitrogen deposition increases the dominance of fast‐growing grasses over the slow‐growing shrub Calluna vulgaris. These changes above‐ground can influence soil dynamics and heathlands' responses to drought. Here, we assessed whether the legacy effects of drought on heathland soils depended on mowing times as a management practice commonly used to regenerate Calluna and decrease the abundance of fast‐growing grasses. Using a long‐term field experiment, we investigated if soil response to drought differed under Calluna and grasses, as well as under Calluna plants of different growth stages through different mowing times. We hypothesized that drought would decrease soil C and nutrient pools underneath grasses and younger Calluna plants through its impact on soil microbial communities. Our results show that long‐term drought decreased soil C but only underneath grasses and old Calluna, while under young Calluna, soil C increased under drought when compared to control conditions. Bacterial and fungal community composition differed between drought and control and were affected by the growth stage of Calluna but not by plant growth strategies. Furthermore, drought and Calluna growth stage‐induced changes in bacterial communities directly affected total soil C and indirectly by reducing microbial C, which was positively related to total soil C. Synthesis and applications. Understanding ecosystem response to drought is crucial for maintaining biodiversity and mitigating climate change feedbacks. Heathlands are threatened by high nitrogen deposition, a lack of management and an increasing frequency of drought. Our results emphasize the importance of frequent mowing (decadal) as a management practice that promotes a younger and more Calluna‐dominated plant community for reducing soil C losses under future climate change‐induced drought conditions. The active management of heathlands is essential not only for keeping above‐ground vegetation dynamics, but also for maintaining below‐ground soil nutrient and carbon pools.

Wildflowers and compost amendment can improve infiltration in soils impacted by construction

AbstractVegetation is an important component of stormwater control measures, as vegetation can reduce erosion and runoff. While grass is typically used in stormwater control measures, wildflowers can be planted to reduce maintenance and improve pollinator habitat. Previous studies have established that tillage followed by establishment of a vigorous vegetation stand can increase infiltration relative to compacted soils. Compost can also improve soil physical properties and fertility. The goal of this study was to evaluate potential improvements in infiltration using tillage together with compost and either grass or wildflowers. Wildflowers or grass were planted on tilled soil with or without compost at three sites in North Carolina. Bulk density, infiltration rate, root mass density, and penetration resistance were measured every 6 months over a 30‐month period. A subset of plots received wheel traffic from a mower. Compost application reduced bulk density compared to tillage alone. Compost improved infiltration at two sites (46%–50%). Wildflowers improved infiltration at all sites (30%–43%) compared to grass. Few differences were observed in root mass and penetration resistance. Mower traffic reduced soil improvements more in grassed plots than wildflower plots due to higher mowing frequency. Results suggest compost and/or wildflowers together with tillage (at establishment) provide viable options to improve soil conditions and infiltration rate in construction impacted soils.

Assessment of the Effects of Autonomous Mowers on Plant Biodiversity in Urban Lawns

Gaining information on the impact of lawn management with autonomous mowers on the floristic composition is crucial to improve their plant biodiversity. In this study, an autonomous mower with a reduced mowing frequency and a more sporadic mowing management system with a ride-on rotary mower were compared in terms of the effect on three dicotyledonous species (Phyla nodiflora, Lotus corniculatus and Sulla coronaria) transplanted onto stands of Bermuda and Manila grass. Regardless of the management system, P. nodiflora achieved the best results in terms of survival for both lawns (74.92 and 58.57% in Manila and Bermuda grass, respectively). In Bermuda grass, a higher percentage of surviving individuals was observed for the ordinary mower management system (42.59%), rather than with the autonomous mower (9.10%), while no differences emerged on Manila grass. On both Manila and Bermuda grass, a higher average percentage of coverage for single individual was observed for the ordinary mower management system (1.60 and 0.37%, respectively) compared to the autonomous mower system (0.55 and 0.08%, respectively). P. nodiflora had a higher percentage of individuals with flowers with the ordinary management system rather than with autonomous mower system both on Manila (60.73% and 33.90%, respectively) and Bermuda grass (48.66 and 3.32%, respectively). Despite a lower impact on the planted species being observed for the ordinary mower management system, encouraging results were obtained with the autonomous mower, for instance regarding the percentage of surviving individuals for P. nodiflora (33.95%) and L. corniculatus (22.08%) on Bermuda grass and the percentage of individuals with flowers for the same two species (33.90 and 13.59%, respectively) on Manila grass. Furthermore, the autonomous mower management system’s primary energy consumption over the year was lower compared to that of the ordinary system both on Manila (200.4 and 614.97 kWh ha−1 year−1, respectively) and Bermuda grass (177.82 and 510.99 kWh ha−1 year−1, respectively).