Harvest Aids for Improved Turfgrass Shelf Life and Transplantation Success
($10,000, Final Report) Shelf-life and transplant success of sodded and sprigged turfgrasses are negatively affected by disruptive harvest techniques and post-harvest handling/storage conditions. Primary contributors may include: 1) internal heating of sod and sprigs, 2) improper or delayed irrigation upon installation, 3) lack of necessary light and gas exchange. Research conducted at Mississippi State University (MSU) seeks to evaluate the effects of several commercially available fungicides and soil surfactants on sod shelf-life, post-storage tensile strength, and transplantation success.
Research was initiated June 21, 2018. Treatments applied 25 and 4 days prior to harvest included: the fungicides Lexicon® Intrinsic®, Exteris® Stressgard, or Heritage®; the plant growth regulator Primo Maxx®; and the soil surfactants Dispatch® Sprayable, Revolution®, Sixteen90™, Ovation®, or Zipline®. A non-treated check and a refrigerated check were included for comparison. A post-installation Lexicon treatment 1 and 22 days after sodding was also included. Sod was then harvested (16-by- 20-inch slabs) and stacked to a height of 12 layers for 72 hours in either ambient field conditions or in a refrigerated (39°F) walk-in cooler. Sod was installed and monitored for recovery 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after installation.
Several treatments enhanced transplant success of newly installed sod that had been stacked and stored for 72 hours. When assessed one day after installation, sod that was refrigerated was greener than all other treatments.
Internal heating measurements of stacked sod.
By 4 days after installation, only the refrigerated sod and sod pre-treated with Lexicon were greener than the non-treated. Tese effects were confirmed by analyzing the sod’s spectral reflectance indexes (RVI, NDVI, and relative chlorophyll). Results were, however, short-lived and by seven days after installation, all treatments were visually similar.
Treatment effects of sod perishability research trial. TPI Turf News September/October 2019 13
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