Turfgrasses established on a soil deprived of the topsoil during construction disturbance often have low levels of density and uniformity making them susceptible to weeds. Field experiments evaluated composted poultry litter incorporation into subsoil on Kentucky bluegrass growth attributes and subsequent effects on weed populations. Top 20 cm of topsoil was removed and composted poultry litter was incorporated at 0.1, or 0.2, or 0.4 cm/cm-soil into the exposed subsoil to a depth of 12.7 cm before seeding or sodding, and was compared to N-fertilized (50 × 10 ？4 kg m ？2) and control plots. A greenhouse experiment was also conducted to determine the effect of compost incorporation rates on turfgrass rooting depth. Turfgrass yield from seeded plots with compost incorporation rates of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 cm/cm-soil, were 200%, 300%, and 500% more, respectively, compared to control plots. Composted poultry litter incorporated at 0.1 cm/cm-soil resulted in at least 70 seedlings in 7.6 cm ？2, which was sufficient to attain 100% turf cover. Higher incorporation rates in seeded plots maintained lower numbers of buckhorn plantain and red clover than untreated plots. Rooting depth also increased linearly with compost rates. Overall, compost treatments were able to maintain superior turf cover and quality compared to conventionally fertilized or control plots.
Schumann, G.L.; Soares, H.; Holden, C.M.; Switzenbaum, M.S. Relationship of traditional parameters of compost stability to turfgrass quality. Environ. Tech. 1993, 14, 257–263, doi:10.1080/09593339309385287.
Larney, F.J.; Janzen, H.H. Restoration of productivity to a desurfaced soil with livestock manure, crop residue, and fertilizer amendments. Agron. J. 1996, 88, 921–927, doi:10.2134/agronj1996.00021962003600060012x.
[5]
Barker, A.V. Evaluation of composts for growth of grass sod. Comm. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 2001, 32, 1841–1860, doi:10.1081/CSS-120000254.
Linde, D.T.; Hepner, L.D. Turfgrass seed and sod establishment on soil amended with biosolid compost. HortTechnology 2005, 15, 577–583.
[8]
O'Brien, T.A.; Barker, A.V. Evaluation of field-applied fresh composts for production of sod crops. Compost Sci. Utlzn. 1995, 3, 53–65, doi:10.1080/1065657X.1995.10701796.
[9]
Wright, A.L.; Provin, T.L.; Hons, F.M.; Zuberer, D.A.; White, R.H. Compost impacts on sodicity and salinity in a sandy loam turf grass soil. Compost Sci. Utlzn. 2008, 16, 30–35, doi:10.1080/1065657X.2008.10702352.
[10]
Gentilucci, G.; Murphy, J.A.; Zaurov, D.E. Nitrogen requirement for Kentucky bluegrass grown on compost amended soil. Int. Turfgrass Soc. Res. J. 2001, 9, 382–387.
[11]
Strange, M.L.; Elam, P.; Meyer, R.D. Topdressing compost on turfgrass: its effect on turf quality and weeds. In Proceedings of the 50th Annual Conference of California Weed Science Society, Monterey, CA, USA, 12–14 January 1998; Volume 50, pp. 28–31.
[12]
Landschoot, P.; McNitt, A. Improving turf with compost. BioCycle 1994, 10, 54–57.
[13]
Chandran, R.S. Response of St. Augustinegrass to Composted Solid Waste and Irrigation Frequency. Master Thesis, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA, June 1993.
[14]
Dinelli, F.D. Using compost to improve turf ecology. USGA Green Sect. Record. 1999, 36, 16–18.
[15]
Kiemnec, G.L.; Jackson, T.L.; Hemphill, D.D.; Volk, V.V. Relative effectiveness of sewage sludge as a nitrogen fertilizer for tall fescue. J. Environ. Qual. 1987, 16, 353–356.
[16]
Tester, C.F. Tall fescue growth in greenhouse, growth chamber, and field plots amended with sewage sludge compost and fertilizer. Soil Sci. 1989, 148, 452–458, doi:10.1097/00010694-198912000-00008.
[17]
Angle, J.S.; Wolf, D.C.; Hall, J.R., III. Turfgrass growth aided by sludge compost. BioCycle 1981, 22, 40–43.
[18]
Ozores-Hampton, M.; Stofella, P.J.; Bewick, T.A.; Cantliffe, D.J.; Obreza, T.A. Effect of age of composted MSW and biosolids on weed seed germination. Compost Sci. Util. 1999, 7, 51–57, doi:10.1080/1065657X.1999.10701952.
Boulter, J.I.; Trevors, J.T.; Boland, G.J. Microbial studies of compost, bacterial identification, and their potential for turfgrass pathogen suppression. World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2002, 18, 661–671, doi:10.1023/A:1016827929432.
[21]
Boulter, J.I.; Boland, G.J.; Trevors, J.T. Compost, a study of the development process and end-product potential for suppression of turfgrass disease. World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2000, 16, 115–134, doi:10.1023/A:1008901420646.
[22]
Paplomatas, E.J.; Malandrakis, A.A.; Nektarios, P.A. Compost management of brown patch disease in turfgrass. Acta Hortic. 2004, 661, 487–489.
[23]
Chandran, R.S; Baniecki, J.; Wilson, A.; Mandal, M. Susceptibility of Kentucky bluegrass under different regimes of composted poultry litter to drechslera leaf spot. biological and cultural tests for control of plant. Diseases 2004, 20, T005.
[24]
Mandal, M.; Chandran, R.S.; Sencindiver, J.C. Amending subsoil with composted poultry litter-I, Effects on soil physical and chemical properties. Agronomy 2013, 3, 657–669, doi:10.3390/agronomy3040657.
[25]
Havlin, J.L.; Beaton, J.D.; Tisdale, S.L.; Nelson, W.L. Soil fertility and Fertilizers: An Introduction to Nutrient Management; Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA, 1999; p. 499.
[26]
Wood, C.W.; Torbert, H.A.; Delaney, D.P. Poultry litter as a fertilizer for bermudagrass effects on yield and quality. J. Sustain. Agric. 1993, 3, 21–36, doi:10.1300/J064v03n02_05.
[27]
Lawson, D.M. Compost application to football turf on an unamended soil rootzone. J. Turfgrass Sports Surface Sci. 2002, 78, 71–76.
[28]
Stevenson, F.J. Humus Chemistry; John Wiley Sons: New York, NY, USA, 1982; pp. 403–419.
[29]
Garling, D.C.; Boehm, M.J. Temporal effects of compost and fertilizer applications on nitrogen fertility of golf course turfgrass. Agron. J. 2001, 93, 548–555, doi:10.2134/agronj2001.933548x.
[30]
Fenner, M. Soil seed banks. In Seed Ecology; Chapman & Hall: London, UK, 1985; p. 151.
[31]
Bhowmik, P.C.; Bekech, M.M. Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) seed production, emergence, and distribution in no-tillage and conventional-tillage corn (Zea mays). Agron. Trends Agric. Sci. 1993, 1, 67–71.
[32]
Ashton, F.M.; Monaco, T.J. Weed Science, Principle and Practices; John Wiley & Sons Inc.: New York, NY, USA, 1991; pp. 393–403.
[33]
Ozores-Hampton, M.; Obreza, T.A.; Stoffella, P.J. Mulching with composted MSW for biological control of weeds in vegetable crops. Compost Sci. Util. 2001, 9, 352–361, doi:10.1080/1065657X.2001.10702053.
[34]
Preusch, P.L.; Tworkoski, T.J. Weed control and mineralization of nitrogen and phosphorus from composted poultry mulch in a West Virginia peach orchard. In Proceedings of the 54th Annual Meeting of Northeastern Weed Science Society, Baltimore, MD, USA, 4–8 January 2000; Volume 54, pp. 18–19.
[35]
Stratton, M.L.; Reichcigl, J. Organic mulches, wood products, and compostsas soil amendments and conditioners. In Handbook on Soil Conditioners: Substances that Enhance the Physical Properties of Soil; Marcel Dekker, Inc.: New York, NY, USA, 1998; pp. 43–95.
