TURFGRASS SCIENCE Clipping Management and Nitrogen Fertilization of Turfgrass: Growth, Nitrogen Utilization, and Quality

ABSTRACT ers with a scientific basis for optimizing their N manage-ment strategies for turfgrass.The effect of returning grass clippings on turfgrass growth and Petrovic (1990) presented an excellent review of thequality has not been thoroughly examined. The objective of this re-fate of nitrogenous fertilizers applied to turfgrass. Partsearch was to determine the effects of returning grass clippings in of this review included the examination of turfgrasscombination with varying N rates on growth, N utilization, and quality uptake of fertilizer N. The research reviewed by Petrovicof turfgrass managed as a residential lawn. Two field experiments (1990) concerning grass uptake of fertilizer N includedusing a cool-season turfgrass mixture were arranged as a 2 4 factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Treat- the use of quick-release nitrogenous fertilizers such as ments included two clipping management practices (returned or re- urea (Sheard et al., 1985; Halevy, 1987; Watson, 1987; moved) and four N rates (equivalent to 0, 98, 196, and 392 kg N ha1). Wesely et al., 1988), NH4NO3 (Hummel and Wadding-Soils at the two sites were a Paxton fine sandy loam (coarse-loamy, ton, 1984; Mosdell and Schmidt, 1985), and (NH4)2SO4 mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Dystrudepts) and a variant of a Hin- (Starr and DeRoo, 1981). Miltner et al. (1996) also use