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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN FYTOFOAM The Perfect Substrate It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to FYTOFOAM (known as Fytogreen Foam in Holland) the leading edge soil amendment made from fully biodegradable aminoplast resin. Developed in Holland by our partners Verheijen Resins, b.v., FYTOFOAM and its derivative Fytocell have been extensively used in a wide variety of horticultural applications including soilless culture over the last 5 years in Belgium and Holland and more recently in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Switzerland. During the last 12 months FYTOFOAM has been subjected to a rigorous field trial by STRI at Bingley, Yorkshire, the leading turf research institute, to test the effects of FYTOFOAM on moisture retention and turf quality for sports turf rootzones. We attach the full report of these trials which demonstrate the considerable potential of FYTOFOAM as a substrate for sports turf surfaces. We also commend to you our brochure which explains how the product can be applied on golf courses, soccer pitches and sports fields and highlights the many advantages of FYTOFOAM compared with traditional substrates If you would like to know more about FYTOFOAM please contact our Managing Director, Charles
Hudleston. THE EFFECTS OF FYTOGREEN FOAM ON MOISTURE RETENTION AND TURF QUALITY FOR SPORTS TURF ROOTZONES FIELD AND GREENHOUSE STUDY For Fytogreen B.V. SUMMARY
PLATE 1 Installation of the lysimeter pots during the trial construction INTRODUCTION Rootzone materials for sports surfaces are required to be free draining, yet must also have the capacity to retain enough water to sustain healthy turfgrass growth. Sand is the principal component of most rootzones as its relatively coarse particle size characteristics permit free drainage, even after compaction. To increase water and nutrient retention, rootzones are typically amended by the addition of material from an organic source such as peat. However, peat extraction is not a sustainable operation, and is thus a source of increasing environmental concern. Consequently, research is needed to examine alternative materials with properties that offer the same hydrological advantages as traditional amendments. Fytogreen foam is a biodegradable foam product manufactured by Fytogreen B.V. As a rootzone amendment, it is claimed that the foam can enhance drainage properties, improve aeration and soil structure, and increase water retention capacity. It is also reported that the foam also has a positive effect on germination, rooting, nutrient mobilisation and resilience. A laboratory study (STRI report 0066/3) conducted at the STRI examined the soil physical properties of rootzones amended with Fytogreen foam. The addition of Fytogreen foam was found to increase capillary porosity and water retention capacity and decrease hydraulic conductivity and total and air-filled porosity. The study indicated that Fytogreen foam has potential for inclusion in rootzones that conform to USGA limits for physical performance. A field and greenhouse trial was then established to monitor the performance of rootzones amended with the foam, with two main aims: firstly, to determine rates of grass establishment and test whether the rootzones containing Fytogreen foam could maintain a healthy sward; secondly, to examine the effect of Fytogreen foam during a controlled greenhouse dry-down phase, to simulate the response of turf swards to drought conditions. This report describes the methodology of the field and greenhouse trial and presents the results and interpretations of the measurements that were taken. MATERIALS AND METHODS Field study The field trial was conducted on the STRI trial grounds, Bingley, U.K. There were six experimental treatments, comprising: 1)
Medium sand with no Fytogreen foam The rates of Fytogreen incorporation were based on the results of the laboratory study (document R0066/3). The sand type used in this study was a 50:50 mix of medium (Rufford 1742) and medium-coarse (Chelford 30); the particle size distributions of the materials are shown in Table 1. The soil amendment was a sandy loam topsoil (16% clay, 23% silt, 61% sand) taken from the STRI trial grounds at Bingley. The peat amendment was a commercially available Sphagnum moss peat. TABLE 1 Particle size distribution (%) and organic matter content (%) of the rootzone mixes
*0.6 % was > 2 mm (i.e. gravel) The experimental treatments were set out in a factorial randomised block design with four replications. Each plot was 1 m x 1 m and contained 250 mm of the rootzone over a gravel drainage layer. Six pots (230 mm diameter) were filled with the respective rootzone material and placed ca. 5 mm below the surface in each plot (Plate 1), to be used as weighing lysimeters in the dry-down phase. The trial was sown on 10 August 1999 with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) at 35 g/m2, comprising equal quantities of three cultivars: Aberelf, Barlinda and Barcrown. The maintenance procedures are summarised in Table 2. Plates 1 and 2 show general views of the trial. Field measurements The following measurements were carried out in accordance with the STRI standard operating procedures (SOP) given in Appendix I.
Rainfall and temperature data coinciding with the trial period are presented in Appendix II. Dry-down phase The weighing lysimeters were removed from the trial and set up in the greenhouse on 5 June 2000. Plate 3 shows the lysimeters in position in the greenhouse. The following three irrigation treatments were administered to the six lysimeters from each plot (allowing two replicates): 0 mm (i.e. no irrigation), 5 mm and 10 mm per week. The allotted amount of water was applied on two separate occasions in each week. A rotation scheme was established whereby, on each block, every lysimeter was rotated by one row and one column each week. This was integrated into the design to ensure that any effect of spatial arrangement (due to potential variations in receipt of sunlight) would be kept to a minimum. Temperature data for the greenhouse during the drought stress experiment is given in Appendix II. Because of the very high temperatures in the greenhouse on the weekend of 17- 18 June all plots received a light syringing of water (approximately 2 mm) to reduce temperatures by evaporation. TABLE 2 Summary of trial maintenance procedures during the trial
Measurements for dry-down phase The following measurements were carried out on all the lysimeters on a weekly basis for eight weeks. The standard operating procedure for each method is given in Appendix I.
Statistical analysis All data underwent an analysis of variance test (ANOVA). Where appropriate the least significant difference (LSD) at the P=0.05 level was calculated to indicate differences between treatment means. RESULTS Field study Germination The influence of Fytogreen was apparent across the range of amendments; on the sand rootzones it caused an increase in germination rate from the first assessment date and resulted in considerable improvement over the next three occasions when germination was measured. The effect of Fytogreen was minor for the sand/peat rootzones. For sand/soil mixes, there was no early effect , but major improvements in germination rate were recorded on 1 and 9 September 1999 (Figure 1). On these occasions the soil amended plots with Fytogreen out- performed all other treatments. TABLE 3 Summary of statistical analysis results from field trial showing effect of amendment and effect of Fytogreen (both averaged over other factors)
(Shading refers to dates when the specified measurement was not taken)
Ground cover Significant effects of Fytogreen and amendment material were recorded throughout the trial (Table 3). For the amendment material there was a marked difference between treatments, with sand rootzones consistently having the poorest ground cover (Figure 2). There was less of a distinction between soil and peat amended rootzones, although rootzones containing peat consistently produced the highest level of sward cover. Highly significant effects of Fytogreen were observed (Figure 2). Sand rootzones experienced the greatest improvement in ground cover when Fytogreen wasincorporated, an increase of ca. 20 percentage points on the latter four sampling occasions. This improvement resulted in the sand rootzones amended with Fytogreen out-performing the soil amended mixes and approaching the cover observed on plots with peat amended rootzones. Soil and peat amended rootzones were also improved throughout the trial by the incorporation of Fytogreen, most notably in the case of the soil amended rootzones. In week 2 (1 September 1999) Fytogreen accounted for a doubling in ground cover for the soil amended rootzones, and the improvement averages eight percentage points thereafter.
PLATE 2 View of trial during establishment, showing contrasting stages of germination between plots
PLATE 3 View of lysimeters in greenhouse during dry-down phase Dry-down phase Moisture
retention Significant effects of Fytogreen were recorded in the first three weeks. Inclusion of Fytogreen foam was found to increase water retention in the early stage of the dry-down period, most notably on unwatered lysimeters and those receiving 5 mm of water per week, whilst the effect on 10 mm per irrigation regime was found to be minor (Figure 4). In terms of rootzone treatments, the different responses were most striking in the first three weeks (Figure 5). There was a major amendment effect, with peat rootzones holding most water and sand holding least; moreover, for each rootzone type, moisture content was considerably higher and decreased at a slower rate when Fytogreen was added (Figure 5). To account for any influence of the contrasting densities of the rootzone materials on gravimetric moisture content calculations, a further analysis was carried out the volume of water contained in the lysimeters on each measurement date (each lysimeter had a volume of approximately 6.89 litres. The volume of water was calculated from the weight of the lysimeter minus the oven-dry soil weight and the weight of the plastic container. The total weight was converted to total volume using a water density of 1 kg l-1. The statistical analysis confirmed that the significance of the various effects on each date was identical to the outcome of the gravimetric data analysis. A summary table of this data is presented in Table 4. TABLE
4 Volume of water retained in each lysimeter, giving mean values (in
litres) for each treatment,
Visual Appraisal Significant differences were observed between the visual quality of the swards in terms of irrigation, amendment material and Fytogreen (Table 5; Figures 6 and 7). The impact of moisture stress is clearly apparent; the irrigation treatment effect was highly significant throughout the experiment, with the exception of the first two weeks when moisture stress had not begun to take effect. The visual merit score declined throughout the dry-down period as moisture stress began to set in and swards began to become impoverished and die off. Irrigation regime was obviously a crucial factor in maintaining the sward; the decline in quality over the dry-down was rapid and severe for the unwatered swards, whilst those irrigated with 5 mm per week were of reasonable visual merit until the last two weeks (Figure 6). The lysimeters with the 10 mm per week treatment retained a sward that at the end of the experiment was only just below the level of what is regarded as acceptable on the visual appraisal scale (SOP 1B0798, see Appendix I). The effect of Fytogreen on the response of lysimeters with different irrigation regimes was evident (Figure 6). The largest effect occurred on the unwatered lysimeters, where Fytogreen prevented the turf from deteriorating so rapidly. Lysimeters watered with 5 mm per week displayed an appreciable difference due to Fytogreen, but the effect on the 10 mm treatments was negligible, a similar pattern to the moisture retention characteristics previously discussed. Plates 4-6 are views of turf swards at the end of the dry-down; the contrast in visual quality between irrigation treatments is clear, for each of the amendments.
PLATE
4 Four sand rootzone lysimeters illustrating the contrast between swards
with and without Fytogreen amendments and between irrigation regimes
(30 June 2000).
TABLE 5 Summary of results of statistical analysis for dry-down, showing effects of Fytogreen, amendment materials and irrigation regime
Moisture content Visual merit Reflectance ratio Date Irrigation Rootzone Fytogreen Irrigation Rootzone Fytogreen Irrigation Rootzone Fytogreen 08 Jun 00 NS *** *** * ** ** NS NS NS 15 Jun 00 *** *** *** NS ** * * * NS 22 Jun 00 *** *** ** *** *** *** *** * * 29 Jun 00 *** *** NS *** * * *** ** ** 06 Jul 00 *** *** NS *** *** * *** NS * 13 Jul 00 *** *** NS *** * * *** ** * 20 Jul 00 *** ** NS *** ** NS *** ** NS 27 Jul 00 *** ** NS *** ** NS *** NS NS There was a significant effect of Fytogreen and of amendment material through most of the dry-down phase, although the difference associated with Fytogreen was not significant on the last two measurement dates. In terms of amendment effects, swards with the peat amendment had the highest scores (Figure 7) whilst the sand rootzones supported swards of much poorer quality. The effects of Fytogreen were substantial. The largest effect was again upon sand rootzones, with smaller and inconsistent improvements occurring for the amended rootzones (Figure 7). Plates 4-6 clearly illustrate the effect of Fytogreen on visual quality of swards at the end of the trial, for each of the rootzones. The lack of significant effect of Fytogreen in the last two weeks can be attributed to the fact that by this time most of the swards were under extreme moisture stress and were thus discoloured and becoming patchy. Consequently, the differences between lysimeters were becoming less distinct. The amendment effect was still relatively strong owing to the substantialdifference in quality between the peat rootzones and the other rootzones at this late stage (Figure 7). PLATE 5 Four lysimeters with soil amended rootzones, illustrating the contrast between swards with and without Fytogreen amendments and between irrigation regimes on 30th June 2000 (please note pot positions are not the same as for Plate 4, refer to plate labels). The visual merit data can be used to estimate how long the condition of a sward can be prolonged to a particular standard by the addition of Fytogreen foam. A value of five on the visual merit scale is regarded as the lower limit of acceptable turf quality. At this level, the time difference between the response curves (from Figures 6 and 7) gives an estimate of the amount of extra time that a rootzone amended with Fytogreen will maintain a sward under drought stress relative to an unamended rootzone. In terms of rootzone medium, this value was one week for sand rootzones and ca. 2-2.5 days for peat rootzones. No extra time was apparent at this level for the soil rootzones. Reflectance ratio The fundamental importance of irrigation regime was again apparent in the reflectance ratio data, being highly significant on all occasions except the first two weeks,before the effects of moisture stress set in. There was a decline in reflectance ratio over the experiment as moisture stress affected the swards. This decline was strongly influenced by irrigation and by Fytogreen incorporation (Figure 8). Fytogreen had most influence on turf quality for the lysimeters receiving no water, a similar response to that found in the visual merit data, and there was also some effect on lysimeters watered with 5 mm per week. Significant results were recorded for amendment and Fytogreen treatments through the middle period of the dry-down phase (Table 5). The non-significant results at the end reflect the relative uniformity that occurs when most swards are undergoing extreme moisture stress. The familiar pattern of rootzone effects on turf quality emerges from the data; the sand rootzones performed characteristically poorly, with rapid deterioration after the second week (Figure 9). The sand lysimeters amended with Fytogreen fared much better, with considerably slowed deterioration. Rootzones amended with peat maintained the healthiest swards, although there was only a minor improvement when Fytogreen was added. Soil amended rootzones scored intermediately, and were slightly improved by Fytogreen on most dates. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS Table 6 provides summary data for each of the measurements over the course of the field trial, showing a comparison between plots with Fytogreen and those with no Fytogreen, averaged over the other amendments. Fytogreen was found to improve grass germination (Table 6). It promoted germination on unamended sand rootzones to a level approaching those amended with soil. On plots containing soil amendment, it further stimulated germination by a significant amount. Fytogreen foam improved turf quality throughout the field trial, as measured by both visual appraisal and reflectance ratio (Table 6). Pure sand rootzones were found to score very poorly for all turf characteristics, and underwent a substantial improvement when Fytogreen foam was added. The incorporation of Fytogreen improved turf quality to level comparable to those measured when soil amendments were added, and in several cases surpassed these. Sand and Fytogreen mixes approached (and with regard to reflectance ratio, exceeded) the level of quality found with peat amendments, which is a major improvement given the poor performance of pure sand rootzones. There was typically a considerable improvement when Fytogreen is added to soil amended rootzones, whilst the effect on peat amended rootzones was generally the least pronounced. PLATE 6 Four lysimeters containing peat amended rootzones, illustrating the contrast between swards with and without Fytogreen and between irrigation regimes (30 June 2000). TABLE 6 Summary table comparing mean values for plots with Fytogreen incorporated and plots with no Fytogreen; values averaged over other amendments. LSD = least significant difference calculated for the effect of Fytogreen at the P < 0.05 level Date Germination Ground cover (%) Reflectance ratio Fytogreen No Fyto LSD Fytogreen No Fyto LSD Fytogreen No Fyto LSD 18 Aug 99 3.0 2.7 0.10 4.5 3.2 0.65 9.4 9.1 NS 24 Aug 99 4.3 3.9 0.16 1 Sep 99 6.6 6.1 0.33 19.7 12.7 3.84 69.1 60.8 5.31 9 Sep 99 8.5 7.9 0.21 7 Oct 99 79.3 64.5 5.18 70.7 66.9 2.43 4 Nov 99 83.8 74.7 2.80 82.4 78.8 1.58 1 Feb 00 92.9 82.3 3.98 68.4 64.7 NS 5 May 00 96.1 87.2 4.77 79.4 74.8 3.72 Table 7 gives summary data showing the effect of Fytogreen foam for each of the measurements made during the dry-down period. Fytogreen foam was found to increase water retention in the first half of the drought phase. During the period, Fytogreen foam enhanced water retention properties for all treatments, with the greatest improvement occurring when added to sand. Inclusion of the foam prevented rapid moisture loss in unwatered lysimeters and those watered with only 5 mm per week. The patterns that emerge in the soil moisture data are reflected in the turf quality tests. The results of these tests indicated that Fytogreen slowed down the deterioration of swards under moisture stress. This is particularly the case for the sand rootzones, although the ameliorative properties are apparent for soil amended rootzones. Significant results were found for both reflectance ratio and visual appraisal data sets, and the greatest response was found in swards under the most moisture stress. The data indicate that addition of Fytogreen can prolongthe quality of swards under drought stress; for sand rootzones, quality could be preserved at an acceptable condition for one week longer when Fytogreen was incorporated. TABLE 7 Summary table comparing mean values for lysimeters with Fytogreen incorporated and lysimeters with No Fytogreen; values averaged over other amendments. LSD = least significant difference calculated for the effect of Fytogreen at the P < 0.05 level Date Soil Moisture (%) Visual appraisal Reflectance ratio Fytogreen No Fyto LSD Fytogreen No Fytogree n foam LSD Fytogreen No Fyto LSD 08 Jun 00 13.2 10.5 0.64 7.0 6.6 0.29 74.4 74.4 NS 15 Jun 00 10.2 7.9 0.71 7.3 6.9 0.29 78.8 77.6 NS 22 Jun 00 6.8 5.6 0.77 6.9 6.4 0.27 70.5 65.1 4.79 29 Jun 00 5.1 4.4 NS 5.4 5.1 0.30 60.5 53.6 4.16 06 Jul 00 5.7 5.0 NS 4.8 4.6 0.23 48.4 44.2 4.05 13 Jul 00 5.1 4.6 NS 3.9 3.6 0.24 35.0 31.1 3.02 20 Jul 00 3.3 3.2 NS 2.3 2.3 NS 17.3 15.5 NS 27 Jul 00 3.4 3.2 NS 2.6 2.5 NS 17.0 16 NS In relation to the aims of this study it can be concluded that, in the case of this trial, rootzones containing Fytogreen foam established and maintained a healthy sward over a period of time, with the improvements to unamended sand rootzones being particularly substantial. Secondly, that Fytogreen foam application brought about significant improvements in the preservation of turf quality under conditions of drought stress. For the turf properties measured in this study, Fytogreen performed at a level comparable to traditional amendments. Overall, the field and greenhouse trials described in this report have demonstrated that Fytogreen foam has considerable potential as an alternative rootzone amendment. QUALITY STATEMENT We confirm that this report is a true representation of the original data collected and that the Standard Operating Procedures referred to in the STRI Manual of Standard Operating Procedures, and those relevant to data collection, data preparation, archiving of data and preparation of reports have been implemented in full. Prepared by: (Signature and date) Final version checked and reviewed by: (Signature and date) POLITE REMINDER Please ensure that your Sales/Marketing Department is aware that this research has been carried out under contract and that the consent of the STRI must be obtained where information contained in the report is to be used in advertising or promotional literature. APPENDIX I STRI STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES RELEVANT TO FIELD AND GREENHOUSE TRIAL ( For further information contact STRI or Greenscape UK ) APPENDIX II WEATHER DATA DURING FIELD TRIAL AND GREENHOUSE TEMPERATURES DURING DRY-DOWN PHASE APPENDIX II a) Weekly temperature and rainfall figures from the STRI trials ground for the period May 1999 to June 2000, when the field trial was in progress Week commencing Maximum temp (°C) Minimum temp (°C) Rainfall (mm) 02/05/99 15.9 6.6 54 09/05/99 15.7 8.6 27.6 16/05/99 15.1 6.6 0 23/05/99 17 8 14.65 30/05/99 14.9 9 25.9 06/06/99 14.1 7.1 20.85 13/06/99 19.1 10.2 3.3 20/06/99 18.1 8.3 1.05 27/06/99 17.8 8.3 24.45 04/07/99 22.4 14.1 7.6 11/07/99 20 11.5 0.16 18/07/99 18.4 11.9 6.55 25/07/99 20.8 10.4 0 01/08/99 24.8 13.9 20.26 08/08/99 16.7 10 10.25 15/08/99 15.8 9.7 23.3 22/08/99 17.8 11.9 6.3 29/08/99 21.5 12.4 2.85 05/09/99 21.8 10.5 7.65 12/09/99 16.9 7.7 2.35 19/09/99 17.8 9.4 56.15 26/09/99 14.3 9.3 80.65 03/10/99 12.6 4.5 14.15 10/10/99 13.5 5.9 2.45 17/10/99 11.2 5.8 18.55 24/10/99 13.3 6 11.05 31/10/99 12.8 7.4 25.55 07/11/99 10.1 3.8 0.85 14/11/99 6.6 2 2.9 21/11/99 9.9 5 6.65 28/11/99 9 3.8 44.1 05/12/99 8.1 2.5 63.4 12/12/99 5.3 -0.1 46.1 19/12/99 5.1 -1.2 16.9 02/01/00 8.65 2.4 7.05 09/01/00 7 2.1 33.9 16/01/00 5.9 -0.03 0.1 23/01/00 5.83 1.6 3.95 30/01/00 9.63 5.2 38.75 06/02/00 9.2 2.1 22.35 13/02/00 6.9 1 36.9 20/02/00 8 0.9 4.55 Week commencing Maximum temp (°C) Minimum temp (°C) Rainfall (mm) 27/02/00 8.3 1.6 41.8 05/03/00 11.6 8 26.2 12/03/00 10 3.6 1.15 19/03/00 10.6 2.2 5.25 26/03/00 8.9 0 8.65 02/04/00 8.4 -0.4 16.65 09/04/00 8.4 0.8 38 16/04/00 12 3.3 35.3 23/04/00 14 6.7 23.6 30/04/00 12.8 5.2 0 07/05/00 17 7.3 0 14/05/00 18 6.9 17.2 21/05/00 14.2 4.9 37.4 28/05/00 15.4 7.4 66.7 04/06/00 15.8 7.7 7.25 APPENDIX II b) Temperature data from the greenhouse during the dry-down phase Fytogreen Foam: Field and Greenhouse Study |
