ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL USE OF GLASS-DERIVED SAND ROOTZONE MIXTURES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF GOLFGREENS

摘要

Recycled glass, milled and screened to produce glass-derived sand, could potentially providean alternative material to be used in place of, or mixed with, conventional sands in golf greenrootzones. A field trial was conducted over a 28 month period to compare the properties ofrootzones constructed using a conventional sand, a glass-derived sand, and a 50:50 mix of thetwo. The angularity of the glass-derived sand grains produced a rootzone which had significantlygreater water infiltration rates than the conventional sand rootzones. The glass-derived sandrootzone plots supported turf which generally displayed good visual quality but which wasaffected by outbreaks of take-all patch disease (Gaeumannomyces gramminis) and Microdochium (fusarium) patch (Microdochium nivale) to a greater extent than the conventional rootzone plots. These differences in disease susceptibility could have been due to the slightly higher pH values of glass-derived sands, particularly when they are applied as top dressing. Maximum root length was on average 25% less on the glass-derived sand, although maximum root length was greater than 160 mm at all times. Significant differences in playing quality were measured between the rootzone types, although the variation was small in comparison with that which has been measured for the variety of construction types on courses in the United Kingdom.