Effects of carpet on turf performance quality, biomass, and root growth of hybrid turf

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne ‘Neruda 1 BT’) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea ‘Crown’) were used to study the effect of the carpet on turfgrass quality and root growth. Pot experiments with a no-carpet control were carried out to study the effects of carpet on turf performance quality, aboveground and underground biomass, and root morphological parameters under different seeding conditions (perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and their mixture). The carpet significantly decreased turfgrass performance traits such as color. Turfgrass color was significantly lower than that of the control for perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and their mixture by 3.8%, 5.3% and 3.9%, respectively. At the same time, the carpet decreased the aboveground biomass of perennial ryegrass and tall fescue by 11.8% and 16.9%, respectively. Additionally, as for the root morphological parameters of the root under the carpet, the total root length, root surface area, and root volume were all lower than those in the control to different degrees under different seeding conditions. Therefore, in artificial-natural hybrid turf, the carpet inhibited root growth under the carpet and further affected the growth of aboveground turf grass.