Effect of compost amendment on turfgrass establishment, soil nutrient pools, and nematode community in tall fescue lawns established on topsoil and subsoil
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Date
2007-04-02T13:34:08Z
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Abstract
Lawns have become a central part of urbanized landscapes throughout North America, providing many social and environmental benefits. However, turfgrass lawns often require excessive fertilizer inputs, which can cause stream and water quality deterioration due to runoff. We hypothesized that lawns established on subsoil have food webs that are suboptimum for nutrient mineralization, thus requiring excessive application of fertilizers. Therefore, we studied the effect of compost amendment on soil nutrient pools, soil food web, and turfgrass establishment in tall fescue lawns established on topsoil and subsoil. Plots were established by excavating soil to a depth of 15 inches and then refilling with native subsoil or topsoil with or without compost addition. There were 12 replications per treatment, and the 4 treatments were arranged in a randomized block design. Turfgrass establishment was evaluated two months after seeding and soil samples were collected pre- and post- turfgrass establishment to analyze soil nutrient pools, and nematode community as an indicator of the soil food web. Turfgrass establishment was initially better on topsoil compared to subsoil plots, but weed intensity was much higher in topsoil than subsoil plots. Macro-nutrients P and Ca, Total C, Total N, NO3-N, and soil organic matter were higher in topsoil than in subsoil plots, and were generally increased by compost. After turfgrass establishment, nematode abundance and food web enrichment index were higher in the compost-amended plots, but maturity index was lower. Nematode genus diversity, evenness, richness, and food web structure index were higher in topsoil than in subsoil treatment.
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Turfgrass, compost, soil nutrient, nematode community