FIELD SCIENCE

ASTM developing newsports field standards

t the recent meeting of theASTM F08.64 and F08.65 sub-committees, new sports fieldstandards were proposed that willbenefit Sports Turf Managers

Association (STMA) members and all turf man-agers in the near future. The issue of lead chro-mate in synthetic turf fibers was also discussed atthe meetings in great detail. The F08.65 subcom-mittee on synthetic turf athletic fields has formeda task group to work on this issue.

The STMA is actively involved with ASTMInternational, one of the world's largest and mostrecognized standards writing organizations. Thestandards produced by ASTM are reference doc-uments that attempt to limit variability betweenthe products and services of many differentindustries. ASTM standards exist for a wide vari-ety of products including both natural and syn-thetic turf athletic fields.

Guide for Quality Control ProceduresDuring The Construction of Natural PlayingSurfaces. This new standard outlines properpractices to be used in the sampling and qualitycontrol testing of rootzone materials used duringthe construction process. The standard coversgravel, sand, organic amendments, and finish-blended rootzone mixes. It will be a valuable toolin future construction specifications.

Evaluating Warm and Cool Season AthleticField Maintenance Programs. These two pro-posed new documents will provide a standardizedmethod for evaluating the quality of maintenanceprograms used to for warm- and cool-season ath-letic fields. Factors such as soil testing, aeration,fertilization, and mowing frequency (includingmany others) will be weighted in order to assigna rank/grade to a facility's maintenance program.

New Equestrian Surfaces Sub-CommitteeFormed. Increased attention has been given to"alternative sports" within both STMA andASTM over the past 2 years, with the majority of

8 August 2008

By J.T. Brosnan and M. DePew

this interest focusing on horse racing. Little sci-entific information exists regarding how to prop-erly maintain surfaces used for horse racing.Furthermore, acceptable levels of surface qualityhave not been outlined. The new ASTM sub-committee is Equestrian Surfaces, F08.28.

The Issue of Lead Chromate on SyntheticTurf Fields. Lead chromate is a pigment used tocolor synthetic turf fibers. Fibers with lead-basedpigments are brighter than those with non-heavymetal pigments. Lead chromate is often confusedwith lead carbonate, which was a principle com-ponent of lead-based paint. Lead chromate mustbe encapsulated in order to be incorporated intosynthetic turf fibers.

In light of the recent media controversyregarding potential health hazards to athletes

competing on synthetic turf fields from leadchromate exposure, ASTM subcommittee F08.65formed a task group to work with the SyntheticTurf Council (STC) on this issue.

The STC released a statement in April 2008 onthis issue. The STC said, "Trace amounts of leadexist in everyday products. The key issue is ensur-ing that quantities oflead that might be harmful tohealth cannot be absorbed into the body. Used toextend the yarn color lifespan in some syntheticturf products, lead chromate is encapsulated inplastic to prevent any health risks."

James Brosnan isAssistant Professor of TurfgrassWeed Science at the University of Tennessee.Michael DePew is agronomist/soil scientist forEnvironmental Technical Services, Tekonsha, Ml

John Mascaro, president of Turf-Tee International, smells a soil sample during a tour stop at thisyear's STMA Conference in Phoenix.

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FIELD SCIENCE

a BSCUB can workfor high school baseball

By Brad Park

A high school baseball field in Southern New Jersey was a great candidate for renovation andestablishment with tall fescue given the transition zone climate and minimal management inputsin the future (Photo by Brad Park).

10 August 2008

r ~common mistake among park

.• and recreation, public works,a and board of education sportsfield managers as well as

•• engineers and architectsresponsible for authoring specifications is thefailure to select the best adapted turfgrass speciesfor establishment on fields with unique site char-acteristics.

Too often turf managers will select commer-cially available seed sold as a "Sports TurfMixture" or "High Traffic Mixture"without exam-ining the turfgrass species and individual varietiesused to compose these mixes. In some cases, ablend of improved varieties, as opposed to a mix-ture of different species, is a better choice. Thisarticle describes a case study where I made a seed-ing recommendation for a blend of tall fescue vari-eties on a high school baseball field based on cli-mate, ability for field closure, projected manage-ment inputs, and turfgrass variety performancedata generated by university-based research.

Site assessmentI visited a high school varsity baseball field in

Cumberland County, NJ (southern, transitionzone climate) in late fall 2007 for the purpose ofassessing existing turf grass conditions and pro-viding recommendations for playing surfaceimprovement. The field consisted of a light col-ored, low-density, coarse textured tall fescue vari-ety (likely Kentucky 31), small patches ofKentucky bluegrass, and crabgrass (weed skele-tons and voids in perennial turfgrass apparent).School personnel reported that turf grass man-agement inputs were limited to mowing. Therewere no records of fertility applications andalthough there was a water source available andthe high school owned a water reel, it was seldomemployed to irrigate the baseball field.

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Table 1. Plan devised for submission to a contractor to renovatea high school varsity baseball field in Cumberland County, NJ.

Early August 2008:• Apply glyphosate at high labeled rate for nonselective control of tall fescue

(i.e. Roundup PRO at 3.0 qts/acre)• Allow for complete turfgrass and weed control (approximately 14 days)• Mow to 1 inch and remove debris• Core cultivate using reciprocating tine unit (3/4-inch tines; 2x over field)• Apply lime at 351bs/1000 sq. ft. (Lime requirement determined by soil test)• Reincorporate cores and incorporate lime via dragging• Slit-seed tall fescue at 8 Ibs seed/lOOO sq. ft. (two directions over field; 4 Ibs

seed/lOOO sq. ft. in each direction)• Apply complete starter at 1 Ibs N/1000 sq. ft.• Irrigate until established using school's water source and temporary, above-

ground irrigation pipe• Apply 1 Ib N/1000 sq. ft. approximately 2 weeks following seedling emer

gence; 30% of N should be in a slowly available form

Significant improvements in the turfgrass quality of tall fescue have been achieved through breedingsince the release of the cultivar Kentucky 31. (foreground) in 1.940 (Photo by Brad Park).

12 August 2008

The weed population and inconsistency ofcool-season turfgrass cover made the baseballfield a strong candidate for turfgrass renovation;additionally, the field was not scheduled for usein summer and fall 2008. While the Board ofEducation would not likely be able to performthe renovation work in-house, funds would beallocated for contracting-out the work.

Site preparationIt was important to provide the high school

detailed instructions on site preparation andseeding (Table 1); specifications are often loose-ly written and contactors subsequently use inef-fective methods to attempt to establish turfgrass.

A nonselective herbicide application was jus-tifiable given the high population of undesirabletall fescue in the field. The field would likely takeon a very patchy appearance (both in color andleaf texture) if the field were simply overseededwith a dark, fine-leafed blend of turf-type tallfescue varieties without first providing nonselec-tive control of the existing vegetation.

The renovation timing (late summer), corecultivation, and slit-seeding methods were iden-tical to those performed during the successfulrenovation of Tiger Field, East BrunswickVocational and Technical School, EastBrunswick, NJ in 2004 (see SportsTurf March2005). Similar to Tiger Field, this baseball fieldwould be closed during the late summer and fallrenovation process-the ideal time for the estab-lishment of cool season turfgrasses in theNortheast and mid-Atlantic.

A recommendation was made to apply limeat a rate of 35 lbs/1000 sq. ft. (lime requirementdetermined by soil testing) immediately follow-ing core cultivation (Table 1). This recommen-dation was based on recently published researchresults where Schlossberg et al.(2008) found thatsurface applications of lime following core culti-vation accelerated the rate of acid neutralization(increasing soil pH) in the top 4.5 inches of soil.

Tall fescue seeding rates are typically recom-mended at 4 to 8 lbs. seed/lOOO sq. ft. The 8lbs/1000 rate was recommended (Table 1) due tothe crabgrass in this field. A denser turf will bemore resistant to potential crabgrass encroach-ment in spring 2009, particularly if a preemer-gence herbicide application for control of crab-grass is not made.

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FIELD SCIENCE

Table 2. Commercially-available tall fescue blends identified by contacting local distrib-utors and deemed acceptable for a high school baseball field in Southern New Jersey byexamining NTEP and Rutgers-generated traffic research.

Blend A Blend B Blend C,

35.0% Padre 33.3% 2nd Millennium 33.3% Turbo

32.0% Magellen 33.3% Olympic Gold 33.3% Tempest

31.0% Biltmore 33.3% Avenger 33.3% Magellen

Turfgrass selectionFor the following reasons, a blend of

improved turf-type tall fescue varieties was rec-ommended for seeding at this field: Regularnitrogen (N) inputs and frequent irrigation isunlikely in the future and tall fescue can exhibitgood turf grass quality under low soil moistureconditions and fewer N inputs compared toother cool season species such as Kentucky blue-grass and perennial ryegrass. Among cool seasonturfgrasses suitable for sports fields in the

Northeast and mid-Atlantic (i.e., Kentucky blue-grass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue),Turgeon (1999) classifies tall fescue as the mostheat tolerant-a desirable trait for the high tem-peratures common to summers in southern NewJersey. Similarly, tall fescue is better adapted tothis school's mowing program compared toKentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass as themowing frequency is projected to be 1x per weekat 3.0-inch using a rotary mower.

As part of wintertime extension functions, I

am frequently asked, "How do I find turfgrassvarieties that perform well in National TurfgrassEvaluation Program (NTEP) or other trials?"The answer is simply, "You must do your home-work, which involves calling local seed distribu-tors and inquiring about not only seed blendavailability but also the varieties that comprisethe blend."To illustrate this point, local distribu-tors were contacted and three acceptable tall fes-cue blends were identified (Table 2).

The performance of tall fescue varieties com-posed of Blends A, B, and C (Table 2) wasassessed by examining nationwide NTEPresearch (www.ntep.org) as well as tall fescuetraffic tolerance research conducted as part ofNTEP trials at Rutgers University(www.turfrutgers.edu/research/ reports).

The 2006 NTEP tall fescue trial at Rutgerswas subjected to wear and compaction (traffic) infall 2007; Padre and Biltmore (components ofBlend A) were among the most traffic tolerant(NTEP, 2008b). Also, Padre was among the mosttraffic tolerant in the 2001 NTEP tall fescue trialat Rutgers when evaluated in 2002-03. Padre,Biltmore, and Magellen were top performing

Instead of simply selecting a "Sports Turf Mixture" for an athletic field, examine the turfgrass species and individual varieties used to comprisecommercial seed blends and mixes (Photo by Jan Zientek, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Essex County).

14 August 2008 www.sportsturfonline.com

FIELD SCIENCEentries when assessed for turf grass quality averaged across 11 locations under aSchedule B level of maintenance in the 2001 NTEP tall fescue trial (NTEP,2008a)

Schedule B maintenance was defined by NTEP as a 2.5 to 3.5-inch mow-ing height; 0 to 2 lbs N/lOOO sq. ft. annually; and either no irrigation or irriga-tion only during severe drought stress to prevent dormancy. It was important toassess the varieties under the Schedule B maintenance level because these man-agement inputs best simulated the projected for the baseball field.

The three varieties included in Blend B, 2nd Millennium, Olympic Goldand Avenger were among the highest ranked varieties for turf quality in 2002-05 across all testing locations maintaining trials under Schedule B (NTEP,2008a). 2nd Millennium and Olympic Gold exhibited superior traffic tolerancein the same NTEP trial at Rutgers in 2002-03.

Within Blend C, Turbo was among the traffic tolerant following fall-appliedwear and compaction in 2007 at Rutgers and among the highest ranked entriesfor turf quality averaged across all locations in 2002-05 and 2007 underSchedule B maintenance (NTEP, 2008a; NTEP 2008b). The variety Tempestwas tolerant of traffic stresses applied in 2003 in New Jersey.

Brad Park is Sports Turf Research & Education Coordinator, RutgersUniversity, New Brunswick, N] and a member of the Sports Field ManagersAssociation ofNJ Board of Directors. He can be reachedat park@aesop.rut gers.edu.

Southern NJ case study resultsThe inappropriate selection of turfgrasses and poor site

preparation and establishment procedures often results in theunderperformance of natural turf sports fields, leading someboard of education and municipal decision makers to premature-ly convert natural turf fields to synthetic alternatives.

Turfgrass species selection must be preceded by a thoroughexamination of existing field conditions, assessing the extent towhich site preparation can be performed, and projecting futuremanagement inputs such as mowing, irrigation, and fertilization.

Turfgrass variety performance data is now available in amatter of seconds with several clicks using the internet; sportsfield managers should use these resources to select top-per-forming blends and inquire with vendors about the availability oftop-performing varieties. The turfgrass selection process andrenovation steps described in this article can serve as a tem-plate to assist sports field managers in their decision-making.

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