TECHNICAL


Already we have lost the use of several pesticides, it seems


we will face increasing legislative and public pressure on our use of resources, as well as the quantity and type of inputs. Additionally, we will increasingly have to consider how we interact with, and impact upon the environment


B


roadly speaking, plants are immobile and are limited in their capacity to obtain water, nutrition and other beneficial substrates. Above ground is the aerial


portion of the plant. This is the lungs, the powerhouse, converting the suns energy to food in the leaf to provide energy for the plant to metabolise. This could not happen without the below ground activity of roots. As well as offering structural support and facilitating transpiration, roots also exude compounds, beneficial to organisms within the soil, with the aim of enhancing the environment in which the plant is growing. Plant roots can move soil particles as they grow, create pore space, and physically reorganise their environment, although this is restricted by compaction of the soil and the soils mechanical resistance to root


penetration. A well aerated, friable soil offers less resistance to root penetration and allows air (oxygen) into the soil. Oxygen is critical to the success of both roots and soil microbes. Total soil pore space can range from 35% to 55% by volume in an ideal mineral soil, but may be less due to compaction. Total pore space is less important than size and interconnectivity of pores. Pore size can be broadly divided into micropores and macropores. Macropores drain water via gravity, allow for aeration of the soil and gaseous exchange with the atmosphere. Micropores retain water under tension, therefore water losses and gaseous exchange are slower. In practice, most sports pitches will have a complex matrix of different pore sizes, the makeup of which may be determined through the careful selection of appropriate sand-soil materials


PC June/July 2020 125


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