Degree Type

Creative Component

Semester of Graduation

Spring 2019

Department

Horticulture

First Major Professor

Adam Thoms

Degree(s)

Master of Science (MS)

Major(s)

Horticulture

Abstract

Athletic field paint is a major part of an athletic field maintenance budget, and can require many hours of work to apply. Sports turf managers often complain about a lack of turfgrass growth and slower drainage in heavily painted portions of their field. Little is known about how repeated athletic field paint applications will change sand-based rootzone characteristics. A study using Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass grown in flats on a sand-based rootzone was conducted at Iowa State University to determine if repeated athletic field paint applications would change a sand-based rootzone particle size and water infiltration rate. Four different painting regimes were used: unpainted control, 1x painting month-1, 2x paintings month-1, 4x paintings month-1 for six months. All paint was applied at an application rate of 1,138 ml of paint m-2. Athletic field paint was applied as an athletic field manager would apply it. At the end of the study, flats were tested for infiltration rates as well as particle size analysis. Repeated applications of athletic field paint caused an increase of 2 to 2.5 times the weight of fine gravel sized particles. No changes were noticed for the smaller sized particles. Infiltration rates were 0.9% less on two of the three painting frequency treatments as compared to the unpainted control. These results suggest that athletic field paint will join the sand particles together causing it to be greater in size than the unpainted sand particles, and can decrease water infiltration.

Copyright Owner

May, Ryan

File Format

Word

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