Nitrogen based establishment and seedbanking potential of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass in athletic fields

This dissertation outlines work done that investigated the potential of perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass to form useful, transient seedbanks in athletic field scenarios as well as speeding both spring and fall establishment of said species with increased nitrogen rates. Under the conditions of the studies, neither Kentucky bluegrass nor perennial ryegrass exhibited long term viability, i.e. seedbanking potential, when seeded to bare ground at three different seeding rates and two seeding schedules (one time vs. multiple). Seed was exhausted in the single seeding schedule as most seed germinated and little was left over to germinate later in the season or beyond. In the multiple seeding schedule, seed was available for germination later in the season and at the end of the traffic period, but did not carry over into the following year. It appeared that a true seedbank was not being formed; rather, multiple inputs were responsible for providing a source of fresh seed available for germination in the season of planting only. Turf managers would benefit from a single, early seeding followed by multiple overseeding events to provide germinable seed through the season. Increased nitrogen rates during establishment appeared to provide better color and cover for both species when used with normal seeding rates. Increasing both seeding rate and nitrogen level masked the effects of nitrogen. Further, increasing nitrogen rates beyond historically established norms during establishment did not reduce the traffic tolerance of either species

Seeding Rates of Annual Ryegrass That Maximize Turf Cover When Sown During Traffic

Exceeding normal seeding rates when establishing turf cover in worn areas of cool-season athletic fields is a common practice. Maximum sowing rates during traffic have not been determined for annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Our objective was to determine the seeding rate ceiling and seeding schedule that maximizes turf cover when sowing annual ryegrass during traffic. Improved varieties of annual ryegrass are expanding its potential applications. One such variety, \u27Panterra\u27 annual ryegrass was established at the Horticulture Research Farm in Ames, Iowa USA, on 4 Sept 2006 and 3 Sept 2007 into two separate study areas, bare soil and killed turf (existing biomass). Treatments consisted of eight seeding rates 25, 50, 75, 150, 225, 300, 450, and 750 g m-2; and two seeding schedules (a single seeding vs. six multiple seeding events one week apart). Traffic consisted of 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 passes wk-1 with a GA-SCW simulator with cleated rollers and a differential slip action. The seeding rate ceiling for ‘Panterra’ annual ryegrass was 450 g m-2 or 18 times the normal seeding rate of 25 g m-2. Sowing annual ryegrass in early Sept. produced more turf cover than dividing the same amount of total seed into multiple applications throughout the traffic season. Applying higher than normal seeding rates during traffic seems appropriate when sports turf managers are trying to improve turf cover

Profile of Iowa farms and farm families: 1976

This report is the first of several publications from a major research project initiated in the fall of 1976 by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station at Iowa State University with the cooperation of University Extension. The project is the Iowa Family Farm Research Project. One phase of this project is a sample survey, conducted in the spring of 1977, of farms and farm households in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. Only farms with $2,500 or more gross farm sales in 1976 were included in the survey. Information was gathered from a sample of 933 farm households. The questionnaire was divided into two parts: one relating to the farm household, and the other relating to the farm business. The person determined to be the operator by a separate screening process responded to the farm business section of the questionnaire, and the spouse of this person, when one was present, responded to the household section. The operator was identified as the primary decision maker for the farm business, except where more than one decision maker was identified, in which case the number of days worked on the farm became the criterion for selecting between them. Seven persons within these households were identified as second operators having their own separate farming operation, and information relating to these operations was gathered also. Eleven female operators were identified out of the total of 940 farm business operations studied

Seedbanking Potential of Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass

The ability of the cool season turfgrasses, Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) to form a seedbank under intense traffic scenarios is not well understood. The practice of establishing a seedbank on athletic fields has been often recommended in popular venues, but has received little attention in academic research. Likewise, anecdotal reporting of seed unexpectedly germinating long after planting are common but have not been scientifically tested

Barenbrug Seeding Trial

Various proprietary seeding mixtures from Barenbrug, USA were examined to determine their effectiveness during both a spring and autumn establishment period under various levels of traffic. RPR perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), SOS annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and TurfBlue Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) were mixed at various ratios to examine how they performed under traffic stress. Also of interest was to determine if annual ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass could be used as an alternating dominant species

Imprelis 2SL Crabgrass and Broadleaf Weed Efficacy and Seedling Tolerance

Previous studies have shown that Imprelis (aminocyclopyrachlor) 2SL has been successfully used in controlling broadleaf weeds in existing stands of turf. The objectives of this study were to evaluate various application rates and application sequences of Imprelis 2SL for control of crabgrass and broadleaf weeds, as well as seedling tolerance, in spring seedings

Psychological and physical correlates of musculoskeletal symptoms in male professional divers and offshore workers

Background: Underwater divers are more likely to complain of musculoskeletal symptoms than a control population. Accordingly, we conducted a study to determine whether musculoskeletal symptoms reflected observable physical disorder, to ascertain the relationship between symptoms and measures of mood, memory and executive function and to assess any need for future screening. Methods: A 10% random sample of responders to a prior postal health questionnaire was examined (151 divers, 120 non-diving offshore workers). Participants underwent physical examination and a neuropsychological test battery for memory and executive function. Participants also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for anxiety (HADSa) and depression (HADSd), and questionnaires for physical health-related quality of life (SF36 PCS), mental health-related quality of life (SF36 MCS), memory (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ)), executive function (dysexecutive syndrome questionnaire (DEX)), musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and general unrelated symptom reporting. Results: Of participants with moderate/severe musculoskeletal symptoms, 52% had physical signs, and of participants with no symptoms, 73% had no physical signs. There was no difference in the prevalence of signs or symptoms between groups. Musculoskeletal symptoms were associated with lower SF36 PCS for both groups. In divers, musculoskeletal symptoms were associated with higher general unrelated symptom reporting and poorer scoring for HADSa, PRMQ, CFQ and DEX with scores remaining within the normative range. A positive physical examination was associated with general unrelated symptom reporting in divers. There were no differences in neuropsychological test scores attributable to either group or musculoskeletal symptoms. Conclusions: Musculoskeletal symptoms were associated with physical signs, but this was not a strong effect. Reporting of musculoskeletal symptoms by the divers studied was also associated with a tendency to report symptoms generally or somatisation, and caution should be exercised regarding their interpretation as an indication of physical disease or their use for health screening

Quantitative Analysis of Culture Using Millions of Digitized Books

We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of ‘culturomics,’ focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. Culturomics extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities.MathematicsPsycholog