Comparing three hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dacylon x C. transvaalesnsis) cultivars for their use on football fields in the United States transition zone

Engineering of Sport 15 - Proceedings from the 15th International Conference on the Engineering of Sport (ISEA 2024)

In the United States transition zone, adaptation of hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dacylon x C. transvaalesnsis) has moved into geographic areas not previously possible, resulting in broader adaption of hybrid bermudagrass for sports fields. Turfgrass breeding for bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) has resulted in more traffic tolerant and improved cold l varieties. Traffic simulation has become a common tool to measure a grasses ability to resist wear, as well as recover. Wear tolerance is important for evaluating new turfgrasses, due to the high amount of traffic athletic fields recieve. The objective of this study is to determine the differences in wear tolerance and horizontal traction forces for three improved traffic tolerance hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dacylon x C. transvaalesnsis) varieties when subjected to traffic in the transition zone. The hypothesis is that hybrid bermudagrass variety selection will impact traffic tolerance and horizontal traction.