EFFECT OF SILICON FOLIAR APPLICATION ON THE FUNCTIONAL VALUE OF LAWNS

The research reported below was conducted between 2014 and 2016, at the Prusy Experimental Station of the University of Agriculture in Krakow (50 degrees 07' N, 20 degrees 05' E). An experiment was set up on degraded black earth soil developed from loess, classified as representing very good soil of class 1. The experiment was designed in accordance with the agro-technical recommendations for lawn establishment. A commercial grass seed mixture called 'Super trawnik' was used to seed the experimental plots, while silicon in the form of Optysil (R) was tested as an experimental factor. In three variants of the experiment, three doses of Optysil (R) were applied: 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 dm(3) ha(-1), with the respective amounts of silicon per hectare equal 18.7 g (variant I), 46.8 g (variant II), and 74.9 g (variant III). Lawn characteristics studied in the experiment were assessed on a 9-point scale. During the growing season, grass was mown 10 to 11 times, to a height of 4 cm. Plants on the plots with the highest dose of silicon (variant III) achieved the highest aesthetic and functional value. Additionally, silicon increased disease resistance of lawn grass. Compared to the control, there was about 12% less Fusarium patch infection and about 18% fewer cases of leaf blight in the plots treated with the highest dose of silicon. Similar satisfactory results were obtained on plots with a dose 0.5 dm(3) ha(-1) (variant II). In relation to the control, grass in the plots treated with silicon had higher resistance to Fusarium patch (Microdochium nivale) and leaf blight (Drechskra siccans), denser turf and therefore scored higher lawn ratings.