scholarly journals Autonomous Rotary Mower versus Ordinary Reel Mower—Effects of Cutting Height and Nitrogen Rate on Manila Grass Turf Quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Pirchio ◽  
Marco Fontanelli ◽  
Christian Frasconi ◽  
Luisa Martelloni ◽  
Michele Raffaelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Rate ◽  
Zoysia Matrella ◽  
Turf Quality ◽  
Factor C ◽  
Cutting Height ◽  
Nitrogen Rates ◽  
Grass Turf

High-quality sports turfs often require low mowing and frequent maintenance. Sports turfs often consist of hard-to-mow warm season turfgrasses, such as zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.) or bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.). Although autonomous mowers have several advantages over manually operated mowers, they are not designed to mow lower than 2.0 cm and are consequently not used on high-quality sports turfs. All autonomous mowers are only equipped with rotary mowing devices and do not perform clipping removal. An ordinary autonomous mower was modified to obtain a prototype autonomous mower cutting at a low height. The prototype autonomous mower was tested on a manila grass (Zoysia matrella) turf and compared its performance in terms of turf quality and energy consumption with an ordinary autonomous mower and with a gasoline reel mower. A three-way factor experimental design with three replications was adopted. Factor A consisted of four nitrogen rates (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg·ha−1), factor B consisted of two mowing systems (autonomous mower vs. walk-behind gasoline reel mower with no clipping removal), and factor C consisted of two mowing heights (1.2 and 3.6 cm). Prototype autonomous mower performed mowing at 1.2-cm mowing height whereas ordinary autonomous mower mowed at 3.6-cm mowing height. The interaction between the mowing system and mowing height showed that the turf quality was higher when the turf was mowed by the autonomous mower and at 1.2 cm than at 3.6 cm. Autonomous mowing not only reduced the mowing quality, but also reduced the leaf width. Lower mowing height induced thinner leaves. Nitrogen fertilization not only increased the overall turf quality, reduced weed cover percentage, but also reduced mowing quality. Autonomous mowers also had a lower energy consumption if compared with the reel mower (1.86 vs. 5.37 kWh/week at 1.2-cm mowing height and 1.79 vs. 2.32 kWh/week at 3.6-cm mowing height, respectively). These results show that autonomous mowers can perform low mowing even on tough-to-mow turfgrass species. They could also be used on high-quality sports turfs, thus saving time as well as reducing noise and pollution.

scholarly journals Effects of close cutting on ground cover and quality of a polystand of Manilagrass and cool season turfgrasses

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65
Author(s):  
Nicola Grossi ◽  
Marco Fontanelli ◽  
Christian Frasconi ◽  
Luisa Martelloni ◽  
Michele Raffaelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Warm Season ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Shoot Density ◽  
The Other ◽  
Festuca Rubra ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Low Input ◽  
Zoysia Matrella ◽  
Turf Quality

Warm season turfgrasses can be grown successfully in the transition zone, but dormancy occurs to some extent during the winter. Overseeding with cool-season turfgrasses is necessary if winter dormancy of warm season turfgrasses is not tolerated. The increasing availability of zoysiagrass cultivars has enabled this genus to be considered suitable for low-maintenance golf courses, especially for golf tees and golf fairways. On the other hand, zoysiagrasses have the most rigid leaves of all turfgrass species, followed by bermudagrasses and by the other warm season turf species. Thus, to have a high mowing quality, mowers working constantly on zoysiagrasses require more sharpening than mowers working on other grasses. Rotary mowers are not suitable for mowing at low heights and often result in scalping, while reel mowers perform optimal mowing at a short height (below 2.5 cm) but require accurate management and frequent sharpening. Autonomous mowers have proven to produce a superior turf quality compared with traditional walk-behind rotary mowers, but no autonomous mower has ever been tested at a low mowing height on an overseeded warm season turfgrass. Because of this, the trial was carried out to simulate a golf tee overseeded with cool season turfgrasses, with low input fertilisation rates and with one of the most difficult turf species to mow; i.e. Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. The trial was carried out in San Piero a Grado (Pisa, Italy) from October 2016 to October 2018. After a two-year period the best turf quality was achieved with Festuca rubra L. ssp. cultivars among the overseeded species, especially during fall. In many cases turf quality increased after manila grass green up since the combination of both cool season and warm season species gave a higher quality to the turfgrass, due to the finer leaf texture and higher shoot density of some cool season species. Moreover, recovery of manila grass ground cover was satisficing. In conclusion, a polystand of manila grass and Festuca rubra ssp. could be suitable for golf tees with low-input management.

scholarly journals Robotic Mowing of Tall Fescue at 90 mm Cutting Height: Random Trajectories vs. Systematic Trajectories

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2567
Author(s):  
Mino Sportelli ◽  
Marco Fontanelli ◽  
Michel Pirchio ◽  
Christian Frasconi ◽  
Michele Raffaelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Navigation Systems ◽  
Tall Grass ◽  
Turf Quality ◽  
Schedonorus Arundinaceus ◽  
The One ◽  
Cutting Height ◽  
Working Efficiency

Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.) is often managed with a cutting height ranging from 70 to 100 mm in ornamental lawns. Some autonomous mowers have been specifically designed to maintain mowing height in the same range. Generally, autonomous mowers operate by following random trajectories, and substantial overlapping is needed to obtain full coverage of the working area. In the case of tall grass, this may cause lodging of grass plants, which in turn may reduce turf quality. The introduction of a navigation system based on systematic trajectories has the potential to improve the performances of autonomous mowers with respect to machine efficiency and turf quality. With the aim of determining the effects of reduced mowing frequency and systematic navigation systems on turf quality and mower performances in terms of working time, energy consumption and overlapping, the performances of two autonomous mowers working with random and systematic trajectories were tested on a mature tall fescue lawn at 90 mm cutting height. The working efficiency was approximately 80% for the systematic trajectories and approximately 35% for the random trajectories; this was mainly due to the lower overlapping associated with systematic trajectories. Turf quality was slightly higher for the mower working systematically (a score of 8 using a 1–9 score with 1 = poor, 6 = acceptable and 9 = best) compared to the one working randomly (quality of 7 and 6 on a 1–9 scale with 1 = poor and 9 = best). No appreciable lodging was observed in either case. For tall, managed lawns, systematic trajectories may improve autonomous mowers’ overall performances.

scholarly journals Growth and Physiological Factors Involved in Interspecific Variations in Drought Tolerance and Postdrought Recovery in Warm- and Cool-season Turfgrass Species

2015 ◽  
Vol 140 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjin Yu ◽  
Mengxian Liu ◽  
Zhimin Yang ◽  
Bingru Huang
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Kentucky Bluegrass ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
Zoysia Matrella ◽  
Turf Quality ◽  
Relative Water

Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses limiting plant growth, while high recuperative capacity of plants from drought damages is critical for plant survival in periods of drought stress and rewatering. The objective of our study was to determine physiological and growth factors in association with drought tolerance and recuperative capacity of cool-season kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis cv. Excursion II) and warm-season zoysigrass (Zoysia matrella cv. Diomand), which were grown in controlled environment chambers and maintained well watered (control) or subjected to drought stress and subsequently rewatering. Compared with kentucky bluegrass, zoysiagrass maintained higher leaf hydration level during drought stress, as shown by greater relative water content (RWC), improved osmotic adjustment (OA), increased leaf thickness, and more extensive root system at deeper soil layers. Turf quality (TQ) and photosynthesis recovered to a greater level and sooner in response to rewatering for zoysiagrass, compared with kentucky bluegrass, which could be due to more rapid reopening of stomata [higher stomatal conductance (gS)] and leaf rehydration (higher RWC). The aforementioned physiological factors associated with leaf dehydration tolerance during drought and rapid resumption in turf growth and photosynthesis in zoysiagrass could be useful traits for improving drought tolerance in turfgrasses.

Influence of Planting Stock Clove Size, Nitrogen Rate, and Planting Method on Elephant Garlic Production

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 517f-518
Author(s):  
Jeanine M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rates ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Nitrogen Rate ◽  
Planting Stock ◽  
Mild Winter ◽  
Allium Ampeloprasum ◽  
Planting Methods ◽  
Planting Method ◽  
Nitrogen Rates

To produce large elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) bulbs in the southeastern United States, stock cloves must be planted in the fall. During extremely cold winters, however, winter survival rates can be very low. A 2-year study was undertaken to examine practices to increase winter survival rates. Two clove sizes (≤20 g or >20 g), three nitrogen rates (112, 224, and 336 kg/ha), and three planting methods (flat, mulched, and hilled) were tested in a RCB design with four replications. For all planting methods, cloves were set in a shallow trench and covered with soil to ground level. This was also the flat treatment. For the mulched treatment, 7 cm of straw was spread on top. For the hilled treatment, soil was mounded 10 to 15 cm high over the ground level. Cloves were planted in early October and harvested in mid-June. Use of large planting stock cloves increased winter survival rates during the harsh winter, but had no effect during the mild winter. Both years, winter survival was reduced with the flat treatment. Yields of marketable bulbs were 4 to 5 times higher when >20 g cloves were planted than when ≤20 g cloves were used. Nitrogen rate and planting method had no effect on yields. The >20 g cloves also produced larger bulbs than the smaller cloves. Of the three planting methods, the flat treatment produced the smallest bulbs. Bulbs were much larger following the mild winter than the harsh winter.

scholarly journals Physiological Response to Water Deficit Stress with Restricted Rooting in Tall Fescue and Zoysiagrass

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Travis Culpepper ◽  
Joseph Young ◽  
David T. Montague ◽  
Manish Sapkota ◽  
Eduardo Escamilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Festuca Arundinacea ◽  
Physiological Response ◽  
Water Deficit Stress ◽  
Zoysia Japonica ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Zoysia Matrella ◽  
Turf Quality ◽  
Green Cover ◽  
Schedonorus Arundinaceus

Abstract Urban soils may restrict turfgrass rooting depth with shallow soil layers in high sand content soils, which may influence water conservation. A greenhouse study sought to quantify water usage and determine the physiological response of turfgrasses at four irrigation levels. ‘ATF-1434′ tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort. nom. cons.; syn. Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), ‘Jamur' Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.), and ‘Zeon' Manilagrass [Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr.] were established in 10 cm (4 in) diameter by 17.8 cm (7 in) tall containers. Each species was irrigated with 16.5, 21.9, 27.3, or 32.7 mm.wk−1 (0.65, 0.86, 1.1, or 1.3 in.wk−1). Gravimetric water loss was determined by pre- and post-irrigation pot weights. Turf quality, leaf discoloration, percent green cover, and gross photosynthesis were evaluated weekly and root parameters were measured at the conclusion of each trial. Although root mass was similar among species, water deficit stress and leaf discoloration occurred sooner in tall fescue than the two Zoysia species, reducing turf quality and green cover. Japanese lawngrass and Manilagrass had greater stomatal conductance, resulting in 109 and 89% higher gross photosynthesis relative to tall fescue. Both zoysiagrasses maintained acceptable turf quality with 27.3 mm water.wk−1. However, tall fescue quality was not acceptable at any irrigation level. Index words: Photosynthesis, gravimetric water loss, tall fescue, Japanese lawngrass, Manilagrass. Species used in this study: Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort. nom. cons.; syn. Festuca arundinacea Schreb.); Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.); Manilagrass [Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr.].

scholarly journals Plant Growth Regulator and Soil Surfactants’ Effects on Saline and Deficit Irrigated Warm-Season Grasses: I. Turf Quality and Soil Moisture

Crop Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 2815-2826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Schiavon ◽  
Bernd Leinauer ◽  
Matteo Serena ◽  
Bernd Maier ◽  
Rossana Sallenave
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Growth Regulator ◽  
Plant Growth Regulator ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Turf Quality ◽  
Warm Season Grasses

scholarly journals Effects of nitrogen on yield and chlorophyll of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars

1970 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semiha Güler
Keyword(s):  
Solanum Tuberosum ◽  
Tuber Yield ◽  
Solanum Tuberosum L ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Tuber Number ◽  
Tuber Weight ◽  
Nitrogen Rate ◽  
Leaf Chlorophyll ◽  
Nitrogen Rates

Effects of nitrogen on the leaf chlorophyll (chl), yield and yield attributing characters of potato as tuber number and mean tuber weight were studied. Correlation coefficients between the investigated characters were determined. Five nitrogen rates (0, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kg/ha) and four potato cultivars (Burren, Slaney, Anna and Emma) were used in the study. First, second, third class tuber yields and total tuber yield, tuber number per plant, and leaf chl were significantly influenced by both nitrogen rate and cultivar, whereas mean tuber weight was affected only by cultivar. Maximum total yield was obtained at 200 kg N/ha. There was significant linear relationship between leaf chl and N applied (R2=0.91). There were significant correlations between chl and yield and yield related characters. Total yield significantly correlated with leaf chl. Correlations between first class yield and total yield as well as total yield and tuber number per plant were highly significant.   Key words: Potato; Solanum tuberosum L.; Leaf chlorophyll; Nitrogen; Yield DOI: 10.3329/bjb.v38i2.5141 Bangladesh J. Bot. 38(2): 163-169, 2009 (December)  

scholarly journals An Empirical Analysis of Energy Consumption, FDI and High Quality Development Based on Time Series Data of Zhejiang Province

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3321
Author(s):  
Shaolong Zeng ◽  
Yiqun Liu ◽  
Junjie Ding ◽  
Danlu Xu
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Open Economy ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Series Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Relationship

This paper aims to identify the relationship among energy consumption, FDI, and economic development in China from 1993 to 2017, taking Zhejiang as an example. FDI is the main factor of the rapid development of Zhejiang’s open economy, which promotes the development of the economy, but also leads to the growth in energy consumption. Based on the time series data of energy consumption, FDI inflow, and GDP in Zhejiang from 1993 to 2017, we choose the vector auto-regression (VAR) model and try to identify the relationship among energy consumption, FDI, and economic development. The results indicate that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship among them. The FDI inflow promotes energy consumption, and the energy consumption promotes FDI inflow in turn. FDI promotes economic growth indirectly through energy consumption. Therefore, improving the quality of FDI and energy efficiency has become an inevitable choice to achieve the transition of Zhejiang’s economy from high speed growth to high quality growth.

scholarly journals Comparison between Different Rotary Mowing Systems: Testing a New Method to Calculate Turfgrass Mowing Quality

Agriculture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Michel Pirchio ◽  
Marco Fontanelli ◽  
Fabio Labanca ◽  
Christian Frasconi ◽  
Luisa Martelloni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
New Method ◽  
Damage Level ◽  
Visual Rating ◽  
Turf Quality ◽  
Innovative Method ◽  
Full Throttle ◽  
Nitrogen Rates

Poor quality in turfgrass mowing is highlighted by the shredded leaf tips with necrotic tissues that give an unsightly brownish colour to the turf and may also lead to turf disease. Mowing quality is also typically assessed by visual rating, thus the score depends on the person doing the assessment. To make the evaluation of mowing quality not subjective, an innovative method was developed. The aim of the trial was to examine the effects of different mowing systems and two different nitrogen rates (100 and 200 kg ha−1) on two turfgrass species in order to test the new mowing quality calculation. Three different mowing systems were used: a battery-powered rotary mower set at 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm respectively and a gasoline-powered rotary mower set at full throttle. The battery-powered mower at low blade rpm produced a poorer mowing quality and turf quality than the gasoline-powered mower and battery-powered mower at high rpm, which produced a similar mowing quality and turf quality. Leaf tip damage level values showed a significant correlation with the results of the visual mowing quality assessment. Lower leaf tip damage level values (slightly above 1) corresponded to higher visual mowing quality scores (around 8).

Energy-Flow Methodology for Thermodynamic Analysis of Manufacturing Processes: A Case Study of Welding Processes

2012 ◽  
Vol 326-328 ◽  
pp. 366-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Zambrana ◽  
A. Aranda ◽  
G. Ferreira ◽  
F. Barrio
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Production Line ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Energy Unit ◽  
Welding Processes

Manufacturing processes involve the input of high quality energy and/or dissipation of low quality energy to manipulate a material; similarly the input of high quality material usually leads to the generation of low quality materials. A useful output involves the operation of conventional processes including a wide variety of functions such as lubrication, air compression, cooling, heating, pumping, etc., which have, on the one hand, high energy and material consumption and, on the other hand, losses due to an inherent departure from reversible processes. This paper presents an energy-flow methodology to determine the ratio between the additional energy required per useful energy unit for the manufacturing processes. As an application of the method proposed in this work, an assembly and welding production line is shown as a case study. This process is a common technique used in the manufacturing industry and its energy consumption depends on several parameters e.g. heat and electrical input. As a result of this study, the energy consumption of the production line has been reduced by approximately 30% from the 645.94 Wh of total energy consumption, where the consumption of real useful energy is 4% of this total.

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