Irrigation scheduling of cool and warm season turfgrass irrigated with sprinkler irrigation method

This study was conducted in the experimental field of TÜRAM (Agricultural Production and Research Center of Silivri Municipality) in Gümüşyaka district located between boundaries of Tekirdağ and Istanbul cities (Turkey) for determining irrigation scheduling of irrigated cool-season and warm-season turfgrass species by sprinkler irrigation during the summer period of the 2017. In the research, three different irrigation strategies for two different turfgrass species were treated in split-plots in randomized blocks design with three replications. As irrigation treatments; for both turfgrass species different depletion levels of available soil moisture in effective root zone of 30 cm were monitored in each day and when %30, %50, %70, of total available soil moisture were consumed irrigation water was applied up to field capacity. At the end of the study, it has been determined significant differences between cool-season and warm-season turfgrass species at the aspect of actual evapotranspiration values, turfgrass quality etc. For cool-season turfgrass species; amount of irrigation water applied in different irrigation treatments are between 502 mm – 239 mm, total actual evapotranspiration are 611 mm – 318 mm, daily evapotranspiration values are 10,0 mm/day – 3,4 mm/day, same values for warm-season turfgrass species are between 417 mm – 141 mm, 489 mm – 211 mm, 9,0 mm/day – 2,4 mm/day, respectively. In other words, the amount of irrigation water applied, and actual evapotranspiration are %17 – 41 and %20 – 34, respectively less than in warm season turfgrass than cool season turfgrass. Finally, it is suggested that when all parameters such as the amount of irrigation water, irrigation and mowing frequency, grass quality parameters are together evaluated irrigation should be applied when %50 and %70 of available soil moisture is consumed for cool season turfgrass and warm season turfgrass species respectively. Besides, the most suitable reference evapotranspiration estimation method under the experimental condition is FAO modification of Class A Pan and Blaney-Criddle method for cool season and warm-season turfgrass species, respectively, and crop coefficient (kc) curves are prepared for both turfgrass species.