A Study on the Seasonal Color Characteristics of Warm- and Cool-Season Grasses II. Color Characteristics and Life-span of Leaves in Turfgrasses and Cover Plants+

난지형 및 한지형 지피식물의 엽색변화에 관한 연구 II. 엽색특성 및 엽수명연장

Nitrogen fertilization and cutting practice were studied on turfgrasses and cover plants to investigate the possibility of maintaining green color during the growing season. Research also involved the effect of the nitrogen on a few morphological characteristics of leaf performance elements which might give an information to coloration and life-span of turf leaves. Treatments in the first experiment undertaken on pot included one N level: 350kgN /ha applied as compound fertilizer in split applications of one-half in mid-May and the rest both in late June and August, and four spring-summer cuts: late May, late June, late July and late August. The soil filled in pot a moderately well-drained sandy loam. In the second experiment(field observation) leaf length and width, inflorescence and flowering, and color performance were also investigated. With nitrogen fertilizer applied on turfs, desirable turf color was maintained during a period of poor coloration in specific seasons such as mid-summer for cool season grasses and late fall for warm season grasses comparing to the non-treatment. However, this was not stimulated by cutting treatment to nitrogen status existed. Cutting effect on coloration was more remarkable in both Korean lawngrass and Manilagrass than in cool season turfgrasses such as Italian rye-grass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue. Especially down-slide of leaf color in cool season turfgrasses could he detected in mid-summer /early fall season ranging up to mid-September. In early November as well as mid-September, Italian ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fes-cue retained a high level of green color as followed by nitrogen application and cutting treatment, and little detectable variation of leaf color notation between cool season turfgrasses was obtained. However, Korean la'vngrass and Manilagrass failed to retain the green color until early November. Color notations in cool season turfgrasses investigated early November on the final date of the experiment ranged from 5 GY 3/1 to 4/8 in 'Ramultra' Italian ryegrass, 'Reveile' perennial ryegrass and 'Arid' tall fescue, but those in Zoysiagrasses were 7.5 YR 4/8 in Korean lawngrass and 2.5 y 5 /6 in Manilagrass. Life-span of leaves was shorter in Italian ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue than in beth Korean lawngrass and Manilagrass with and without nitrogen application. In general, leaves appeared in early May had a long life-span than those appeared in late April or mid-June. Nitrogen application significantly prolonged the green color retaining period in perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, Korean lawngrass and Manilagrass, and this was contrasted with the fact that there was no prolonged life-span of leaves emerging in early May and mid-June in tall fescue. SPAD reading values in 48 turfs and cover plants investigated in the field trial were increasing until late June and again decreasing till September. Increasing trends of reading value could be observed in the middle of October in most of grasses. On the other hand, clovers and reed canarygrasses did not restore their color values even in October. Color differences between inter-varieties, and inter-species occurred during the growing season under the field condition implicated that selection of species and /or cultivars for mixture should be taken into consideration. In Munsell color notation investigated in the final date in the middle of November, 32 cultivars belonged under the category of 5 GY and 10 cultivars under the category of 7.5 GY. This was implying that most of cool season turfs and cover plants grown in the center zone of Korean Peninsula which are able to utilize for landscape use can bear their reasonable green color by early or mid-November when properly managed. The applicable possibilities of SPAD readings and Munsell color notation to determine the color status of turfgrasses and cover plants used in this study were discussed.