Ava Veith, Travis Roberson, & David S. McCall
Abstract
Spring dead spot (SDS) is the most destructive disease of hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x transvaalensis) in the transition zone. Sunken patches create a non-uniform playing surface on recreational fields that may impact surface playability and increase athlete injury potential. Cold-related injury (winterkill) also impacts hybrid bermudagrasses and often leaves much of the playing surface with minimal living turfgrass canopy. Both SDS and winterkill caused significant injury on athletic fields throughout much of the Mid-Atlantic US in 2023, leaving field managers concerned for athlete safety. Little research has been done to investigate the impact of SDS and winter injury on athletes. Our objective is to quantify the effects of SDS and cold-related injury on field performance and player safety, as measured using the Clegg Impact Tester, soil moisture sensor, shear vane, ball rebound device, and a FLEX testing device that simulates player acceleration and deceleration. Further, our study examined how an increase in surface moisture on SDS impacts these metrics. Data were collected from twenty matched pairs of SDS-symptomatic and asymptomatic bermudagrass on four athletic fields during peak symptom expression in May. Ten pairs were irrigated at each testing location immediately before data collection. To assess the impact of winterkill on field performance, data were collected from twenty matched pairs of symptomatic and asymptomatic bermudagrass on three athletic fields in May, however without irrigation. Our data suggest that winterkill has an impact on field playability. Bermudagrass winterkill impacts overall field playability based on increased surface hardness levels, less rotational resistance, and greater ball rebound values. SDS areas were shown to have less structural strength, have a higher ball rebound, and greater energy restitution than healthy areas. Additionally, our data suggests that SDS had a greater impact on athlete safety and field playability immediately after simulated rainfall.
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