Life Sciences Commons^™

Methods To Hasten Zoysiagrass Establishment From Sprigs, Tyler Carr

Doctoral Dissertations

Zoysiagrasses (Zoysia spp. Willd.) are commonly used on golf course fairways and tees in addition to residential and commercial lawns due to lower input requirements relative to bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.). This has led to increased interest in using zoysiagrass for golf course putting greens; however, zoysiagrass establishment from sprigs is prolonged compared to bermudagrass. A series of experiments were conducted in glasshouses in Knoxville, TN in 2022 to evaluate the effects of environmental conditions and management practices on the establishment of Prizm zoysiagrass from sprigs. To determine the optimal soil temperature for Prizm zoysiagrass establishment, sprigs were exposed …

Practical Improvements For Pivot And Surface Irrigation, Jonathan A. Holt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Irrigation is critical to meeting global food and fiber demands. Optimizing agricultural irrigation may help sustain production levels, while reducing its demand for water. This research evaluated precision sprinklers and drip irrigation for pivots, five pivot track mitigation tools, three scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS) methods, sensors for surface irrigation cutoff, and automating surface systems to implement surge irrigation. With pivots and surface irrigation being the most common methods for irrigation in the West, small improvements from these tools could result in significant water savings.

Low energy precision application (LEPA) sprinklers and mobile drip irrigation (MDI) were tested on two pivots. …

Effect Of Nanobubble-Oxygenated Water For Irrigation Of Sand-Based Golf Course Putting Greens, Eric Deboer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanobubbles (NBs) are sub-micron, stable cavities of gas. The properties of NBs theoretically allow long bubble residence times and high gas dissolution rates resulting in the supersaturation of oxygen in water. Adequate soil aeration is a constant concern for producers of agricultural and horticultural crops. Because of their unique properties, NBs have been investigated for oxygenating water used in the irrigation of various agricultural and horticultural crops to increase soil oxygen concentration. Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) is the most widely used turfgrass for golf course putting green surfaces. Golf course superintendents use various methods to increase soil oxygen in …