Aggregate stability of Alfisols root zone upon turfgrass treatment

Rahayu Rahayu (Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Central Java)
Jauhari Syamsiyah (Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Central Java)
Laila Nikmatus Sa'diyah (Undergraduate Program of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Central Java)

SAINS TANAH - Journal of Soil Science and Agroclimatology
Vol 17, No 1 (2020): June

Soil degradation mostly occurs on land where a lack of surface coverage results in soil-aggregate destruction due to heavy rainfall. Turfgrass is an ornamental plant and covers the soil surface and, thus, potentially improves soil-aggregate stability. This study determined the potential of some summer grasses to improve soil-aggregate stability and was a pilot experiment using six turfgrass species: Paspalum vaginatum; middle-leaf Zoysia sp.; Cynodon dactylon; coarse-leaf Zoysia sp.; Axonopus compressus; Zoysia matrella. Turfgrasses were planted using stolons in a 0.6 m2 plot unit with 5 cm x 5 cm space. Lawn maintenance included irrigation, fertilizing, and weeding. Soil characteristics were observed six months after planting and showed that turfgrass increased the soil-aggregate index from 42.3% to 83.0% in control, and carbon particles measuring 6.4 μm from 28.3% to 63.0%.