RESEARCH PROJECT: COMPARE HOURS OF USE FOR DIFFERENT SPORTS FIELD CONSTRUCTION TYPES AND MAINTENANCE INPUTS. PART 1: SOIL PARAMETERS

The project is being conducted over 18 – 24 months with 7 detailed assessments as well as collating the maintenance information, the hours of use and the level of sport (e.g. junior vs senior). This information will then be compared to the turf quality parameters being measured. Over the research period the results are being provided as interim reports available on the STA website (www. http://vicsportsturf.asn.au/) and presented at STA (VIC) seminars. This article is the first of a two part series on the study being undertaken and presents the soils data collected over the first 12 months. Part 2 will look at the data collected on surface quality parameters including turf composition, wear, traction and turf health.