Search Results

Leaching-induced N losses have been shown to be minimal under turfgrasses. This is likely due to superior ability of turfgrasses to absorb nitrate. No direct evidence for this theory has been reported. The present study quantified nitrate leaching under miniature turf and nitrate uptake by individual turfgrass plants, and established the relationship between nitrate leaching loss and nitrate uptake rate. Seedlings of six Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) cultivars, `Blacksburg', `Barzan', `Connie', `Dawn', `Eclipse', and `Gnome', were planted individually in polystyrene containers filled with silica sand. The plants were irrigated with tap water or a nutrient solution containing 1 mm nitrate on alternate days and mowed to a 5-cm height once each week for 25 weeks. Nitrate leaching potential was then determined by applying 15 to 52 mL of nutrient solutions containing 7 to 70 mg·L^-1 nitrate-N into the containers and collecting leachate. After the leaching experiment, plants were excavated, roots were washed to remove sand, and the plants were grown individually in containers filled with 125 mL of a nutrient solution containing 8.4 mg·L^-1 nitrate-N. Nitrate uptake rate was determined by monitoring nitrate depletion at 24-hour intervals. Leachate nitrate-N concentration ranged from 0.5 to 6 mg·L^-1 depending on cultivar, initial nitrate-N concentration, irrigation volume, and timing of nitrate-N application. Significant intraspecific difference in nitrate uptake rate on a root length basis was observed. Nitrate uptake rate on a per plant basis was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) and negatively correlated (r = -0.65) with nitrate leaching loss. The results provide strong evidence that superior nitrate uptake ability of turfgrass roots could reduce leaching-induced nitrate-N losses.

It has been suggested that shoot demand for nitrogen controls nitrate uptake in plant roots. In turfgrasses, shoots are partly removed by regular mowing, which may severely alter nitrate uptake ability. However, reported groundwater nitrate concentrations under intensively managed turf are well below the USEPA maximum contaminant limit of 10 mg·L^-1 nitrate-N in potable water. We hypothesize that the turfgrass root can also exert significant control over its nitrate uptake ability. The present study was to test this hypothesis by comparing nitrate uptake rates of excised roots and intact, whole plants of six Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) cultivars. Three replications or cultures of each cultivar were grown in sand for 15 months. For whole-plant nitrate uptake, the roots were placed in a flask filled with 200 mL of a nutrient solution containing 0.125 mm nitrate. Nitrate depletion was monitored at 20-minute intervals over an 8-hour period under ≈600 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 photosynthetic photon flux density. After the whole-plant experiment, the plants were placed in an N-free nutrient solution for 15 hours, and the roots were then excised. The excised roots were placed in a beaker containing 60 mL of the 0.125-mm nitrate nutrient solution and nitrate depletion was monitored at 20-minute intervals over a 6-hour period. Whole-plant nitrate uptake rate differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) among cultivars and was twice that of excised roots. Excised root nitrate uptake rate exhibited no cultivar difference but was positively and significantly (P ≤ 0.05) correlated with whole-plant nitrate uptake rate. Our results indicate that turfgrass roots exert substantial control over nitrate uptake.