Effect of hydrogel and different types of fertilizers on the number of turf shoots in lawns created by monocultures of red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) cultivars and its mixtures

In order to determine the effect of the hydrogel content in the soil substrate on the number of shoots per unit area of grass lawns with different proportions of red fescue and monoculture turf produced from the following fescue cultivars: Adio, Libano, Corail, Simone. In the period 2003-2004, a field experiment was carried out in a randomized block design in four replications. In combination with a hydrogel (Aqua-Gel P4), 0.05 kg x m-2 of sorbent was placed at a depth of 10 cm below the soil surface in 2002. Another experimental factor was the type of fertilizer. Trawovit (a fertilizer with standard effects) and Sierrablen (a controlled-release fertilizer) were used for this purpose. The quantities of fertilizer and time of fertilization date followed manufacturer's instructions. The number of shoots per 1 m2 was determined at the end of the growing season. The study showed that, regardless of years of cultivation, the type of soil substrate and fertilizer, the average number of shoots for the mixtures was about 32% lower than for monoculture lawns. The presence of the hydrogel in the soil substrate regulated soil moisture, and therefore in the mixture lawns the values of the tested features were significantly higher in the treatments with hydrogel. Fertilization with Trawovit, regardless of the type of soil substrate (H, BH), does not lead to a statistically significant difference in the number of shoots between the studied mixtures. However, in the treatments fertilized with Sierrablen, the presence of the hydrogel in the soil substrate caused a significant increase in the traits examined for the mixtures containing, respectively, 20 and 80% of red fescue in their composition. The addition of Aqua-Gel P4 to the soil substrate, when the turf lawns were fertilized with Trawovit, resulted in a significant increase in the number of shoots for the cultivars Adio, Libano and Corail.