Monday, November 13, 2006
26-3

Interactive Effects of Soil Amino Sugar Nitrogen and Fertilizer on Lawn Response.

Joseph Storlien, ETS Dept, St. Cloud State Univ, 628 S 9th Ave, Apt.4, St. Cloud, MN 56301 and M.R. Bender, ETS Dept, St. Cloud State Univ, 720 S Fourth Ave, St. Cloud, MN 56301.

Lawn fertilization by homeowners is one of the most common lawn maintenance practices performed, however, few homeowners are aware of the quantity of fertilizer they apply or the environmental consequences of over application. One area of lawn fertility which has not been thoroughly investigated is the response lawn soils have to additional fertilizer inputs. This study has been developed in an attempt to address this issue. Using the Illinois Soil N test, the interactive effects of amino sugar nitrogen and fertilizer rate will be examined. Amino sugar nitrogen is a type of nitrogen stored in the cell walls of soil microorganisms. If amino sugar nitrogen concentration is high within a lawn soil, it is hypothesized that lawn response to additional nitrogen fertilizers inputs will be slight. Further investigation is necessary to test this hypothesis. If found true, lawn fertilization of soils containing high amino sugar nitrogen could result in nutrient related environmental issues.