Page 31 - Transitioning Turfgrass

6 ETS Field Days
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supply of hay to provide seeds of local species; C)
uncut (control). All species and their abundance
were recorded yearly in spring. The number of
species and percentage of dominant species were
subjected to ANOVA.
We found that naturalized roughs are composed
by habitats rarely found in the surrounding area,
and that suspension of management practices
allows the natural development of these habitats.
Photo 1 Fairways and naturalized roughs Nineteen percent of the golf course surface is nat-
at Golf della Montecchia. uralized rough with a total of 131 species. Even if
the structure of the vegetation is more complex
and richer in terms of flora than in a typical rough,
the abundance of trees and shrubs, and botanical in some naturalized roughs the development pro-
surveys were conducted in each section recording cess goes through a critical stage where just a few
all plant species and their percentage of abun- species are more competitive and prevail over the
dance (Pornaro et al., 2018). The matrix of species others. The cluster analysis allowed to identify four
was subjected to cluster analysis. Moreover, with groups. Group 1 included most sections with wood
the aim of increasing biodiversity, a 3-year study and shrubby layer dominant on the herbaceous
(2013-2015) was conducted in two selected sites one (Table 1, page 26). Other groups mainly in-
characterized by low plant diversity, and domi- cluded sections with few trees or shrubs and were
nated by Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski (Site 1) and distinguished for including sections dominated by a
Festuca rubra L. (Site 2). Three cultural practices few Poacea species such as F. rubra, Lolium arun-
were applied once in spring 2013: A) cut with bio- dinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh. (=Schedonorus arun-
mass removal; B) cut with biomass removal and dinaceus, Festuca arundinacea), Cynodon dacty-

Figure 1 Effect of the interaction between year and Figure 2 Year effect on the percentage of dominant species
management practices on a number of species in a in two naturalized rough sections of Golf della Montecchia
naturalized rough section dominated by Festuca rubra. (northeastern Italy) dominated by Elytrigia repens (Site 1)
A = mowed and seed supplied; B = mowed; and Festuca rubra (Site 2). Bars with the same lowercase
C = control. Error bar represents the least letter are not significantly different according to the least
significant difference at P = 0.05 for comparing significant difference test at 0.05 level of probability. Bars
means (modified by Pornaro et al. 2018). with the same capital letter are not significantly different
according to the least significant difference test at 0.05
level of probability (modified by Pornaro et al. 2018).

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