TECHNICAL INSIGHT SURFACTANT TRIALS RESULTS REVEALED
Turfgrass surfactant trials data Soil surfactants, wetting agents, penetrants, wetters. Are they the same thing, what exactly do they do and are they worth the cost and the bother of having to apply them to our turfgrass surfaces? BY DR JOHN DEMPSEY, INDEPENDENT TURFGRASS RESEARCHER
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urfactants have historically been used to greatest effect in the amenity turfgrass industry. For many years they have been a key component of turf maintenance programmes, used to treat localised dry patch; mitigate soil water repellency; enhance rootzone water delivery, water use efficiency and nutrient access; and improve overall plant health. The key to the successful use of surfactants is for end users to firstly decide the
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target criteria for their use at their facility, and then to research the technical aspects of available products and determine what they can deliver to help achieve those targets – within budget. Legitimate surfactant producers and suppliers should have solid scientific research data to support their products’ performance, including data from replicated field trials. Over the past few years, I have carried out numerous field trials, mostly in the
DETERMINE THE TARGET CRITERIA FOR USE AND THEN RESEARCH THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF AVAILABLE PRODUCTS AND HOW THEY CAN HELP ACHIEVE THOSE TARGETS
areas of disease control and enhanced turfgrass growth and health. I’m sharing results from a couple of studies involving the use of surfactants. I won’t be naming any products, as most of the work was done in confidence, but I will provide some interesting and novel data.
TRIAL OUTLINE
These trials were carried out between May and September in 2020 and 2021. They were based on Poa annua greens at two sites, a USGA specification sand rootzone in Kildare and a traditional soil push-up green in Dublin, both maintained at 5mm cut height using standard management practices. Treatments were randomised with four replications, comprising a range of surfactants and untreated controls, sequentially applied at 14- or 28-day intervals. Assessments included: percent volumetric water content (VWC), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), turfgrass quality and wilt/drought stress.
