A multifunctional alternative lawn where warm-season grass and cold-season flowers coexist
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ORIGINAL PAPER
A multifunctional alternative lawn where warm‑season grass and cold‑season flowers coexist Francesca Bretzel1 · Monica Gaetani2 · Francesca Vannucchi3 · Claudia Caudai4 · Nicola Grossi2 · Simone Magni2 · Lisa Caturegli2 · Marco Volterrani2 Received: 24 October 2019 / Revised: 22 June 2020 / Accepted: 25 June 2020 © International Consortium of Landscape and Ecological Engineering 2020
Abstract Lawns provide green infrastructure and ecosystem services for anthropized areas. They have a strong impact on the environment in terms of inputs (water and fertilizers) and maintenance. The use of warm-season grasses, such as Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., provides a cost-effective and sustainable lawn in the dry summers of the Mediterranean. In winter, Bermudagrass is dormant and brown, which instead of being a problem could be an opportunity for biodiversity through the coexistence of flowering species. This study assesses the possibility of growing autumn-to-spring-flowering bulbs and forbs with Bermudagrass, to provide ecosystem services in urban areas. Eight geophytes and 18 forbs were incorporated into a mature turf of hybrid Bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon × C. transvaalensis cv. “Tifway”. At the same time, a commercial flowering mix was sown in the same conditions. Two different soil preparations, scalping and turf flaming, and two different nitrogen doses, 50 and 150 kg ha−1, were carried out before sowing and transplanting. The flowering plants were counted. All the bulbs and six of the 18 forbs were able to grow and flower in the first and second years. The commercial mix was in full bloom from April until the cutting time for the hybrid Bermudagrass, at the end of May. Adding the flowering species did not affect the healthy growth of the warm-season grass. The fertilization dose had no effect, while turf flaming led to a wider spread of Bellis perennis L. and Crocus spp. Several flower-visiting insects were observed in the spring. Keywords Cynodon dactylon (L.) pers. · Cynodon transvaalensis · Geophytes · Forbs · Flaming · Nature-based solutions
Introduction The continuous increase in land areas devoted to urban development has an impact on the wildlife species normally found in such areas. The appropriate planning of landscapes Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-020-00423-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Francesca Bretzel [email protected] 1
Istituto di Ricerca Sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri (IRET), CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro‑Ambientali, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
3
Istituto di Scienze della Vita, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
4
Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell’Informazione “A. Faedo” CNR, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
around homes, businesses, industrial complexes, and public buildings can help support a representative wildlife community that residents can enjoy (Beard an
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