Current interest in the fate of agrochemicals applied to turf is encouraging many turf scientists to contemplate renovation of existing field plots for soil-water monitoring studies. Ceramic cup samplers are used for these studies and result in little soil profile disturbance. However, a limitation to using this tool is frequent sampler failure caused by frequent system air leaks. Also, conventional installation and sampling require that samplers be accessible from above the soil line. This imposes a constraint on turf maintenance and increases traffic and wear to turf plots. Herein, an inexpensive offsite soil-water sampling method using permanently installed ceramic cup samplers that allows for routine turf maintenance without system failure is described. Thirty-six separately irrigated 4 m2 plots each with an installed sampler provided daily data over 1988-1989, from which the effects of a range of irrigation, N, K, and propoxur treatments on soil-water concentrations were evaluated. These data, plus calculated percolation provided an estimate of groundwater loading.
A FIELD RESEARCH METHOD FOR SOIL-WATER SAMPLING UNDER TURF