The influence of various dose of nitrogen on botanical composition of turfs on the basis of drought-tolerant fescues cultivated under conditions without irrigation

Abstract

The botanical composition of 2 turfgrass mixtures on the basis of drought-tolerant species Festuca rubra L. and Festuca arundinacea Schreb. was evaluated by method of reduced projective dominance in natural conditions in the Research state Nitra (western Slovakia) during years 2007 – 2012. The species composition of mixture was significant in the early stages of turf development. The rapidly evolving Lolium perenne L. (part of the mixture 1) had shortly after sowing relatively high ground cover. It was the dominant species in turf in year of turf establishment. Lolium perenne’s part was successively decreased in next period. Festuca rubra agg. acquired the dominance in turf. Turfgrass mixtures, which contained slower evolving Festuca arundinacea Schreb. and very slowly evolving Poa pratensis L., had suitable ground cover in autumn in year of sowing or until spring in next year. The effect of supplied nutrients was reflected in year of sowing in mixture 1, resp. from the second year of cultivation in mixture 2, when the variants fertilized by a dose of 90 kg*ha-1 N (V3) exhibited higher ground cover of grasses compared to unfertilized variant (V1) and variant V2 (45 kg*ha-1 N). Higher dose of nitrogen (V3) promote the competitive strength of both mixtures, which resulted in low to very low occurrence of weeds in turf in comparison with other variants.