Use of recycled water for turfgrass irrigation is increasing in the southeastern U.S. because of population growth and interest in protecting water quality. Turfgrass systems are perceived to be well suited for effluent dispersal due to their proximity to waste treatment facilities, in-ground irrigation systems, and ability to efficiently absorb (i.e. filter) nutrient contaminants when actively growing. However, effluent generation is continuous and bermudagrass growth is seasonal in the southeastern U.S. Clearly, there is a need to more thoroughly understand the capacity of bermudagrass, the turfgrass most often involved with effluent dispersal, for receiving effluent irrigation. This series of experiments was designed with the overall intent of examining the capacity of a bermudagrass turf/soil system for handling effluent applications. Experiments involved 1) characterizing seasonal changes in nitrate assimilation efficiency of the system, 2) determining the effects of prolonged soil saturation on nitrate uptake efficiency, and 3) characterizing internal nitrogen relations during the spring emergence period. While it is difficult to extend the results of these experiments, quantitatively, to situations where effluent is being applied in the field, the evidence does support a few basic observations. Bermudagrass appears to be capable of assimilating large amounts of N when growing, an ability that may well extend into transition months when little vertical shoot growth is occurring. Furthermore, although reduction in quality occurred, shoot growth and nitrate uptake efficiency of bermudagrass and centipedgrass was relatively unaffected by prolonged saturated soil conditions, a condition that may be likely with effluent irrigated sites.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NCSU/oai:NCSU:etd-12142007-163215 |
| Date | 19 December 2007 |
| Creators | Wherley, Benjamin George |
| Contributors | Thomas Rufty, Daniel Bowman, Fred Yelverton, Wei Shi, Art Bruneau |
| Publisher | NCSU |
| Source Sets | North Carolina State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-12142007-163215/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dis sertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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