Effects of Liquid Fertilizer Foliar Application on Growth of Kentucky Bluegrass and Leaching of Nitrate, Phosphate and Potassium through Sand-based Soil Ground

Yong-Sup Cho1   Young-Rae Cho1   Dong-Sup  Kim2   Geun-Mo  Yang2   Joon-Soo  Choi2,*   

1DONG SUNG GREEN Co., LTD., Yongin 17088, Korea
2Department of Green Landscape Architecture Science, Dankook Univ., Cheonan 31116, Korea

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of liquid fertilizer foliar application on the growth of Kentucky bluegrass. Lysimeter was established at the experimental site for the measurement of nutrient leaching as well as top and root growth of turfgrass. The liquid fertilizer used for the foliar application (FFA) was the compound fertilizer containing N.P<.K (13:2:3)+microelements (Fe 1.0+Cu 0.1+Mn 0.2+Zn 0.2), and the granular compound fertilizer of N.P<.K (16:4:8) was used as a check. The foliar application rates of liquid fertilizers tested in this study were 15 g (FFA15), 10 g (FFA10) and 5 g N m-2 (FFA5) per year with spay water volume of 50 mL m-2. The experimental plot was laid out as the randomized block. Leaf color and quality of Kentucky bluegrass was good at the foliar application rate of 15 g N mv and the growth rate also increased as foliar application rate increased, but the top and root weight was not significantly affected by foliar application rates. The nitrate leaching following foliar application was 13.24-88.09 mg m-2 indicating leaching rate of 0.58-1.76%, but it was not significantly different from those of the plot treated with the granular compound fertilizer. Kentucky bluegrass showed higher rating at leaf color, plant density and quality at the foliar application rate of 15 g N m-2 per year with spay water volume of 50 mL m-2.

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1. Visual color of Kentucky bluegrass at the different foliar fertilization rates in 2014 and 2015. Least significant difference (LSD), <=0.05 (*), <=0.01 (**), not significantly (NS).