Density is a measure of the number of aerial shoots per unit area. Density can vary based on several factors, including: the particular turf genotype, environmental conditions, and the intensity of cultural operations performed on the turf site.
Table 1: Effects of mowing height and nitrogen fertilization on rooting density and rhizome growth of a Poa Pratensis turf.
Cut height1
Nitrogen Dose
Lawn density
Root weight
Length. rhizomes
(mm)
(d/m2 /month)
(#shoots /10cm2)
(g/10cm3 plate)
(mm)
25
0
124
1.70
33
25
2.5
128
1.54
32
25
5
135
1.43
30
38
0
104
2.09
35
38
2.5
110
1.83
35
38
5
118
1.62
34
50
0
90
2.60
41
50
2.5
91
2.31
39
50
5
94
2.03
38
63
0
87
3.03
44
63
2.5
86
2.64
44
63
5
90
2.41
43
1 The cut was performed once a week.
Within the mowing tolerance range of a particular turf, density decreases as mowing height increases. At a particular mowing height, the density increases as nitrogen fertility increases. On the contrary, the growth of roots and rhizomes tends to increase with increasing mowing height.
In the previous table it can be seen that the root mass and the length of the rhizomes increase significantly with the increase in cutting height, but decrease with the increase in nitrogen fertilization.
Today we know that there is a very strong symbiotic bond between plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), mycorrhizae and plant roots, and that the abundance of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus limits their action. This symbiosis is mutually beneficial and depends on the exchange of nutrients between plants and microorganisms. Among rhizobacteria, some strains are known to be able to synthesize atmospheric nitrogen, while mycorrhizae are more capable of making phosphorus already present in the soil soluble. Therefore, rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae are able to assimilate nutrients that plants cannot assimilate, thus making them available in a noble form that is easily assimilated by plants. On the other hand, these microorganisms are not capable of synthesizing atmospheric carbon, so they need plants, which provide them with part of the organic carbon synthesized through photosynthesis.
Soil biology is a much more complex mechanism, but the principle is simply based on the "give and receive" linked to the food chain. But then why do we increasingly observe the development of diseases and phytophagous insects that devastate crops?
The answer is simple because the main cause is the alteration of this nutritional balance, mainly due to the excess of synthetic mineral fertilizers and, above all, the indiscriminate use of pesticides, even in the preventive phase, and this is what traditional agriculture has taught us so far.
The questions to ask yourself are simple: 1) Would you take an antibiotic preventively to avoid an illness? 2) If you want healthy food on your tables, why should you buy products treated with pesticides or simply pumped with water? Because this is what happens with excessive NPK fertilization.
The answer lies in the application of the teachings of regenerative agriculture, which is necessary to study to understand what happens in soil biology. The attention of the modern agricultural technician is to study each crop as an ecosystem and, every time he carries out an action, he must think about how this can influence its balance. In fact, every action must aim to minimize the negative impact on soil biology and to mitigate or compensate for abiotic stresses which are mainly linked to high or low temperatures, the soil's ability to retain rainwater and soil compaction. The so-called biotic stresses are caused by fungal or bacterial diseases and herbivorous insects, but more often than not they are the consequence of our failure to comply, due to excessive fertilization, abuse of pesticides, excessive soil compaction and poor management of irrigation water.
Density is a measure of the number of aerial shoots per unit area. Density can vary based on several factors, including: the particular turf genotype, environmental conditions, and the intensity of cultural operations performed on the turf site.
Table 1: Effects of mowing height and nitrogen fertilization on rooting density and rhizome growth of a Poa Pratensis turf.
Cut height1
Nitrogen Dose
Lawn density
Root weight
Length. rhizomes
(mm)
(d/m2 /month)
(#shoots /10cm2)
(g/10cm3 plate)
(mm)
25
0
124
1.70
33
25
2.5
128
1.54
32
25
5
135
1.43
30
38
0
104
2.09
35
38
2.5
110
1.83
35
38
5
118
1.62
34
50
0
90
2.60
41
50
2.5
91
2.31
39
50
5
94
2.03
38
63
0
87
3.03
44
63
2.5
86
2.64
44
63
5
90
2.41
43
1 The cut was performed once a week.
Within the mowing tolerance range of a particular turf, density decreases as mowing height increases. At a particular mowing height, the density increases as nitrogen fertility increases. On the contrary, the growth of roots and rhizomes tends to increase with increasing mowing height.
In the previous table it can be seen that the root mass and the length of the rhizomes increase significantly with the increase in cutting height, but decrease with the increase in nitrogen fertilization.
Today we know that there is a very strong symbiotic bond between plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), mycorrhizae and plant roots, and that the abundance of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus limits their action. This symbiosis is mutually beneficial and depends on the exchange of nutrients between plants and microorganisms. Among rhizobacteria, some strains are known to be able to synthesize atmospheric nitrogen, while mycorrhizae are more capable of making phosphorus already present in the soil soluble. Therefore, rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae are able to assimilate nutrients that plants cannot assimilate, thus making them available in a noble form that is easily assimilated by plants. On the other hand, these microorganisms are not capable of synthesizing atmospheric carbon, so they need plants, which provide them with part of the organic carbon synthesized through photosynthesis.
Soil biology is a much more complex mechanism, but the principle is simply based on the "give and receive" linked to the food chain. But then why do we increasingly observe the development of diseases and phytophagous insects that devastate crops?
The answer is simple because the main cause is the alteration of this nutritional balance, mainly due to the excess of synthetic mineral fertilizers and, above all, the indiscriminate use of pesticides, even in the preventive phase, and this is what traditional agriculture has taught us so far.
The questions to ask yourself are simple: 1) Would you take an antibiotic preventively to avoid an illness? 2) If you want healthy food on your tables, why should you buy products treated with pesticides or simply pumped with water? Because this is what happens with excessive NPK fertilization.
The answer lies in the application of the teachings of regenerative agriculture, which is necessary to study to understand what happens in soil biology. The attention of the modern agricultural technician is to study each crop as an ecosystem and, every time he carries out an action, he must think about how this can influence its balance. In fact, every action must aim to minimize the negative impact on soil biology and to mitigate or compensate for abiotic stresses which are mainly linked to high or low temperatures, the soil's ability to retain rainwater and soil compaction. The so-called biotic stresses are caused by fungal or bacterial diseases and herbivorous insects, but more often than not they are the consequence of our failure to comply, due to excessive fertilization, abuse of pesticides, excessive soil compaction and poor management of irrigation water.
Density is a measure of the number of aerial shoots per unit area. Density can vary based on several factors, including: the particular turf genotype, environmental conditions, and the intensity of cultural operations performed on the turf site.
Table 1: Effects of mowing height and nitrogen fertilization on rooting density and rhizome growth of a Poa Pratensis turf.
Cut height1
Nitrogen Dose
Lawn density
Root weight
Length. rhizomes
(mm)
(d/m2 /month)
(#shoots /10cm2)
(g/10cm3 plate)
(mm)
25
0
124
1.70
33
25
2.5
128
1.54
32
25
5
135
1.43
30
38
0
104
2.09
35
38
2.5
110
1.83
35
38
5
118
1.62
34
50
0
90
2.60
41
50
2.5
91
2.31
39
50
5
94
2.03
38
63
0
87
3.03
44
63
2.5
86
2.64
44
63
5
90
2.41
43
1 The cut was performed once a week.
Within the mowing tolerance range of a particular turf, density decreases as mowing height increases. At a particular mowing height, the density increases as nitrogen fertility increases. On the contrary, the growth of roots and rhizomes tends to increase with increasing mowing height.
In the previous table it can be seen that the root mass and the length of the rhizomes increase significantly with the increase in cutting height, but decrease with the increase in nitrogen fertilization.
Today we know that there is a very strong symbiotic bond between plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), mycorrhizae and plant roots, and that the abundance of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus limits their action. This symbiosis is mutually beneficial and depends on the exchange of nutrients between plants and microorganisms. Among rhizobacteria, some strains are known to be able to synthesize atmospheric nitrogen, while mycorrhizae are more capable of making phosphorus already present in the soil soluble. Therefore, rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae are able to assimilate nutrients that plants cannot assimilate, thus making them available in a noble form that is easily assimilated by plants. On the other hand, these microorganisms are not capable of synthesizing atmospheric carbon, so they need plants, which provide them with part of the organic carbon synthesized through photosynthesis.
Soil biology is a much more complex mechanism, but the principle is simply based on the "give and receive" linked to the food chain. But then why do we increasingly observe the development of diseases and phytophagous insects that devastate crops?
The answer is simple because the main cause is the alteration of this nutritional balance, mainly due to the excess of synthetic mineral fertilizers and, above all, the indiscriminate use of pesticides, even in the preventive phase, and this is what traditional agriculture has taught us so far.
The questions to ask yourself are simple: 1) Would you take an antibiotic preventively to avoid an illness? 2) If you want healthy food on your tables, why should you buy products treated with pesticides or simply pumped with water? Because this is what happens with excessive NPK fertilization.
The answer lies in the application of the teachings of regenerative agriculture, which is necessary to study to understand what happens in soil biology. The attention of the modern agricultural technician is to study each crop as an ecosystem and, every time he carries out an action, he must think about how this can influence its balance. In fact, every action must aim to minimize the negative impact on soil biology and to mitigate or compensate for abiotic stresses which are mainly linked to high or low temperatures, the soil's ability to retain rainwater and soil compaction. The so-called biotic stresses are caused by fungal or bacterial diseases and herbivorous insects, but more often than not they are the consequence of our failure to comply, due to excessive fertilization, abuse of pesticides, excessive soil compaction and poor management of irrigation water.
