A TURN OF FRA F
ootball pitches are usually sown with perennial ryegrass as the dominant grass species due to its hard-wearing
nature and favourable playing characteristics. However, it is not long before light green patches of annual meadow-grass can be seen in the sward. Indeed, in as little as three years after construction, it can be the dominant grass species on a pitch. As such, the spread of annual meadow-grass on newly constructed football pitches continues to be a common and persistent problem. Annual meadow-grass, despite being a species which is tolerant of heavy wear, does have a number of undesirable characteristics. These include a tendency to ‘kick out’ in the form of divots, the unsightly patchy nature of the sward, it is susceptible to Microdochium patch disease and it can be associated with the formation of a thatchy surface layer which can affect playing quality. The rate of annual meadow-grass
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spread depends on pitch usage levels, management and renovation practices. In the past, it has been controlled using both physical (e.g. scarification) and chemical (herbicide) techniques. Physical control has been based on cleaning the surface as much as possible during the renovation process, before sowing with the desired species. Chemical control has been hindered by: a) finding selective herbicides that do not damage the other grass species in the sward; and b) the ever-decreasing number of permitted herbicides.
The trial
With support from the Professional Football Association and Campey Turf Care Systems an experimental trial has been carried out at the STRI over three football playing seasons. The objective was to investigate the relative effectiveness of mechanical and chemical treatments to control the spread of
annual meadow-grass on football pitches. At the end of each playing season the
trial area was renovated and oversown, then, after the grass had germinated, chemical treatments were applied. The trial was based at the STRI trials ground where an area was prepared using a sand-dominated rootzone similar to that at many professional football clubs. The area had been used in the past for other trials, therefore it was likely that there was a significant seed bank of annual meadow-grass present. In addition, material from annual meadow-grass infected rootzone cores was spread over the area. The trial was sown with a mixture of three perennial ryegrass cultivars. Three sets of treatments were included as outlined in Table 1. The physical treatment consisted of the preparation and renovation of the soil using a Koro Fieldtopmaker, which has a series of rotating blades and has the ability to
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