Effect of humic acid and mulches on characteristics of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Horticulture and Landscape, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Application[Editor 321]  of biotic growth regulators (e.g. humic components) and appropriate mulches is recommended to improve turfgrass quality especially in arid andsemi-arid climate zones. However, limited number of studies have investigated their effect on lawn establishment. To investigate the effect of humic acid (HA) and selected mulches on characteristics of Festuca arundinacea in its planting stage, a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized block design with three replications was performed. The first factor was mulch types including vermicompost, leaf compost, cow manure,[Editor 322]  and sand (control) which were used to cover the seeds. The second factor was a HA solution (100 ml l-1) sprayed monthly over the period of the experiment. Plant height, fresh and dry weight of lawn clippings, photosynthetic index, leaf texture, and overall turfgrass quality were measured. Spraying HA significantly improved the measured factors except the dry weight and photosynthetic index of the plants. Among the mulches, vermicompost provided better impressions on improving the characteristics of this turfgrass species including 48% increase in fresh weight, 18% increase in height, 48% increase in total quality, and 10% reduction in leaf width of the turfgrass. This research can assist in developing knowledge for having high quality lawns in urban landscapes of arid and semi-arid environments.



 

Keywords

Main Subjects


Acosta-Martínez, V., Z. Reicher, M. Bischoff, R. F.
     Turco, 1999. The role of tree leaf mulch and nitrogen
     fertilizer on turfgrass soil quality. Biology and Fertility
     of Soils, 29; 55-61. doi: 10.1007/s003740050524.
Aguiar, N. O., F. L. Olivares, E. H. Novotny, L. B.
     Dobbss, D. M. Balmori,  L. G. Santos-Junior,
     2013. Bioactivity of humic acids isolated from
     vermicomposts at different maturation stages. Plant
     and Soil, 362; 161-164. doi:10.1007/s11104-012-
     1277-5.
Alidadi, H., A. Hosseinzadeh, A. A. Najafpoor, H.
     Esmaili, J. Zanganeh, J. Dolatabadi Takabi, 2016.
     Waste recycling by vermicomposting: Maturity and
     quality assessment via dehydrogenase enzyme
     activity, lignin, water soluble carbon, nitrogen,
     phosphorous and other indicators. Journal of
     Environmental Management, 182; 134-140. doi:
     10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.07.025.
Amosse, J., Y. Bettarel, C. Bouvier, T. Bouvier, T. Duc,
     T. T. D. Thu, 2013. The flows of nitrogen,
     bacteria and viruses from the soil to water
     compartments are influenced by earthworm activity
     and organic fertilization (compost vs. vermicompost).
     Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 66; 197-203. doi:
     10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.07.007.
Asik, B. B., M. A. Turan, H. Celik, A. V. Katkat, 2009.
     Effects of humic substances on plant growth and
     mineral nutrients uptake of wheat (Triticum durum cv.
     Salihli) under conditions of salinity. Asian Journal of
     Crop Science, 1; 87-95.
Atiyeh, R. M., S. Subler, C. A. Edwards, G. Bachman, J.
     D. Metzger, W. Shuster, 2000. Effects of
     vermicomposts and composts on plant growth in
     horticultural container media and soil. Pedobiologia,
     44; 579–590. doi: 10.1078/S0031-4056(04)70073-6.
Atiyeh, R. M., S. Lee, C. A. Edwards, N. Q. Arancon, J.
     D. Metzger, 2002.  The influence of humic acids
     derived from earthworm-processed organic wastes on
     plant growth. Bioresource Technology, 84; 7–14. doi:
     10.1016/S0960-8524(02)00017-2.
Bayala, J., A. Mando, Z. Teklehaimanot, S.J. Ouedraogo,
     2005. Nutrient release from decomposing leaf mulches
     of karité (Vitellaria paradoxa) and néré (Parkia
     biglobosa
) under semi-arid conditions in Burkina
     Faso, West Africa. Soil Biology and Biochemistry,
     37; 533–539. doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2004.08.015.
Bouyoucos, G.J., 1962. Hydrometer method improved for
     making particle size analyses of soils. Agronomy
     Journal, 54; 464-465. doi:10.2134/
     agronj1962.00021962005400050028x.
Bowman, R. A., C. V. Cole, 1978. Transformations of
     organic phosphorus substrates in soils as evaluated by
     NaHCO3 extraction. Soil Science, 125; 49–54.
Bremner, J. M., 1960. Determination of nitrogen in soil
     by the Kjeldahl method. Journal of Agricultural
     Sciences, 55; 11-33. doi: 10.1017/
     S0021859600021572.
Canellas, L. P., L. R. L. Teixeira Junior, L. B. Dobbss, C.
     E. Silva, L. O. Medici, D.B. Zandonadi, A. R. Facanha,
     2008. Humic acids cross interactions with root and
     organic acids. Annual Applied Biology, 153; 157–166.
     doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2008.00249.x.
Chaoui, H. I., L. M. Zibilske, T. Ohno, 2003. Effects of
     earthworm casts and compost on soil microbial
     activity and plant nutrient availability. Soil Biology
     and Biochemistry, 35; 295–302. doi: 10.1016/S0038-
     0717(02)00279-1.
Chen, Y., T. Aviad, 1990. Effect of humic substances on
     plant growth, in: MacCarthy, P., Clapp, C. E.,
     Malcolm, R. L., P. R. Bloom, (Eds.), Humic
     substances in soil and crop science: Selected readings.
     American Society of Agronomy, Madison, 161-186.
Ervin, E. H., X. Zhang, J. C. Roberts, 2008. Improving
     root development with foliar humic acid applications
     during Kentucky bluegrass sod establishment on sand.
     Acta Horticulturae, 783; 317-322. doi:
     10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.783.33.
Gaur, A. C., D. Mukherjee, 1980. Recycling of organic
     matter through mulch in relation to chemical and
     microbiological properties of soil and crop yields.
     Plant and Soil, 56; 273-281. doi: 10.1007/BF02205856.
Gonzalez-Perez, M., L. Martin-Neto, L. A. Colnago, D.
     M. B. P. Milori, O. A. de Camargo, R. Berton,
     2006. Characterization of humic acids extracted from
     sewage sludge-amended oxisols by electron
     paramagnetic resonance. Soil & Tillage Research, 91;
     95-100. doi:  10.1016/j.still.2005.11.007.
Hunter, A., A. Anders, 2004. The influence of humic acid
     on turfgrass growth and development of Creeping
     Bentgrass. Acta Horticulturae, 661; 257-264. doi:
     10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.661.32.
Jindo, K., S. A. Martim, E. C. Navarro, F. Perez-Alfocea,
     T. Hernandez, C. Garcia, 2012. Root growth
     promotion by humic acids from composted and non-
     composted urban organic wastes. Plant and Soil, 353;
     209–220. doi: 10.1007/s11104-011-1024-3.
Kafi, M., M. Haghighi, A. Tehranifar, Gh. H. Davari
     Nejad, H. Nemati, 2009. Identifying the best
     combination of mulch and planting time for
     hydromulching and the impact of these features on
     some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of
     turfgrass. Journal of Science Technology and
     Agriculture Natural Resource, 47; 659-666. (In
     Persian).
Kazemi, F., S. Beecham, J. Gibbs, 2011. Streetscape
     biodiversity and the role of bioretention swales in an
     Australian urban environment. Landscape and Urban
     Planning, 101; 139–148. doi -10.1016/
     j.landurbplan.2011.02.006.
Komakech, A. J., C. Zurbrügg, G. J. Miito, J. Wanyama,
     B. Vinneras, 2016. Environmental impact from
     vermicomposting of organic waste in Kampala,
     Uganda. Journal of Environmental Management, 181;
     395–402. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.06.028
Liu, C., R. J. Cooper, D. C. Bowman, 1998. Humic acid
     application affects photosynthesis, root development
     and nutrient content of Creeping Bentgrass. Horticultural Science, 33; 1023-1025.
Mallarino, A. P., J. M. Bordoli, R. Borges, 1999.
     Phosphorus and potassium placement effects on early
     growth and nutrient uptake of no-till Corn and
     relationships with grain yield. Agronomy Journal, 91;
     37-45. doi: 10.2134/agronj
     1999.00021962009100010007x.
Mbagwu, J. S. C., A. Piccolo, 1989. Changes in soil
     aggregate stability induced by amendment with humic
     substances. Soil Technology, 2; 49-57. doi:
     10.1016/S0933-3630(89)80006-6.
Mintenko, A. S., S.R. Smith, D. J. Cattani, 2002.
     Turfgrass evaluation of native grasses for the northern
     Great Plains region. Crop Science, 42; 2018–2024.
     doi:10.2135/cropsci2002.2018.
Mylonas, V. A., C. B. Mccants, 1980. Effects of humic
     and fulvic acids on growth of tobacco. Plant and Soil, 54; 485-490. doi: 10.1007/BF02181841.
Ngo, P. T., C. Rumpel, T. T. Doan, P. Jouquet, 2012. The
     effect of earthworms on carbon storage and soil
     organic matter composition in tropical soil amended
     with compost and vermicompost. Soil Biology and
     Biochemistry, 50; 214-220. doi: 10.1016/
     j.soilbio.2012.02.037.
Obalum, S. E., M. E. Obi, 2010. Physical properties of a
     sandy loam Ultisol as affected by tillage-mulch
     management practices and cropping systems. Soil &
     Tillage Research, 108; 30-36. doi: 10.1016/
     j.still.2010.03.009.
Poss, R., J. C. Fardeau, H. Saragonit, P. Quantin, 1991. 
     Potassium release and fixation in Ferralsols (Oxisols)
     from Southern Togo. Journal of Soil Sciences, 42; 649-
     660. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1991.tb00111.x.
Rabbani KheirKhah, S. M., F. Kazemi, 2015.
     Investigating strategies for optimum water usage in
     green spaces covered with lawn, Desert, 20; 217-230.
Safari, N., F. Kazemi, 2016. Examining performances of
     organic and inorganic mulches and cover plants for
     sustainable green space development in arid cities.
     Desert, 21; 65-75.
Shearman, R. C., K. N. Morris, 2000. NTEP Turfgrass
     Evaluation Guidelines. http:// www.ntep.org/pdf/
     ratings/
(accessed 13.05.30).
Siczek, A., R. Horn, J. Lipiec, B. Usowicz, M. Łukowski,
     2015. Effects of soil deformation and surface mulching
     on soil physical properties and soybean response
     related to weather conditions. Soil & Tillage Research,
     153; 175–184. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2015.06.006.
Simmons, M., M. Bertelsen, S. Windhager, H. Zafian,
     2011. The performance of native and non-native
     turfgrass monocultures and native turfgrass
     polycultures: An ecological approach to sustainable
     lawns. Ecological Engineering, 37; 1095–1103. doi:
     10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.03.004.
Sohrabi Yourtchi, M., M. Haj Seyyed Hadi, M.T. Darzi,
     2013. Effect of nitrogen fertilizer and vermicompost
     on vegetative growth, yield and NPK uptake by tuber      
     of potato (Agria CV.). International Journal of
     Agriculture Crop Science, 5; 2033-2040.
Sun, R., X. X. Zhang, X. Guo, D. Wang, H. Chu, 2015.
     Bacterial diversity in soils subjected to long-term
     chemical fertilization can be more stably maintained
     with the addition of livestock manure than wheat
     straw. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 88; 9-18. doi:
     10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.05.007.
Valdrighi, M. M., A. Pera, M. Agnolucci, S. Frassinetti,
     D. Lunardi, G. Vallini, 1996. Effects of compost-
     derived humic acids on vegetable biomass production
     and microbial growth within a plant (Cichorium
     intybus
)-soil system: a comparative study. Agriculture
     Ecosystem and Environment, 58; 133-144.
     doi:10.1016/0167-8809(96)01031-6.
Walkley, A., I.A. Black, 1934. An examination of the
     Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter,
     and a proposed modification of the chromic acid
     titration method. Soil Science, 37; 29-38.
Zaller, J.G., 2007. Vermicompost as a substitute for peat
     in potting media: Effects on germination, biomass
     allocation, yields and fruit quality of three tomato
     varieties. Scientia Horticulturae, 112; 191–199. doi:
     10.1016/j.scienta.2006.12.023.
Zhang, X., E. H. Ervin, R. E. Schmidt, 2003. Seaweed
     extract, humic acid and propiconazol improve tall
     fescue sod heat tolerance and post-transplant quality.
     Horticultural Science, 38; 440-443.
Zribi, W., R. Aragues, E. Medina, J. M. Faci, 2015.
     Efficiency of inorganic and organic mulching
     materials for soil evaporation control. Soil & Tillage
     Research, 148; 40-45. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2014.12.003.