Durability and concentration of organic colorant in the visual quality of Discovery TM bermudagrass

Abstract

The painting of sports turfs with colorants is a common practice, with the main objective to maintain grass appearance for maximum aesthetic quality. Colorants are used to provide green color to grasses during periods of stress and dormancy and are considered an alternative for warm weather grasses during the winter months. Recent increases in the use of colorants is due to water conservation efforts as well as lower operating costs compared to winter overseeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate durability and doses of organic colorant in terms of visual quality of DiscoveryTM bermudagrass. The experiment was installed in the field, subdivided into plots of DiscoveryTM bermudagrass treated with lawn-specific commercial, organic colorant as follows 0 ml L-1 (Control); 33 ml L-1; 50 ml L-1; 66.6 ml L-1 (manufacturer’s recommendation); 83 ml L-1; 100 ml L-1. At 10 day intervals the green color index, reflectance, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and digital images were measured and assessed. The results indicate that, given the durability of the product, doses between 66.6 and 83.3 ml L-1 are recommended.