THE RESEARCH PLAYBOOK
Table 1 : Summary of athletic field paint application treatments applied to hybrid bermudagrass [‘ Tifway ’ Cynodon dactylon ( L .) Pers . x Cynodon transvaalensis , Burtt-Davy ] turfgrass sample plots weekly at the University of Tennessee , Knoxville , Tenn .
Treatment Graco Paint Nozzle Size Pounds Per Square Inch
1 2 3 4 5 6
Figure 2
Figure 3
319 319 319 431 431 431
500 psi 1,000 psi 1,500 psi 500 psi 1,000 psi 1,500 psi
( Pioneer Athletics , Cleveland , Ohio ) mixed at a 1:1 paint and water ratio ( Figure 1 ). Factors consisted of two nozzle types and three paint application pressures ( Table 1 ). Painting was conducted , inside a wooden stencil , using a 50 % fan overlap one foot above the surface with a vertical pattern and a horizontal pattern to ensure the turfgrass blades were evenly coated .
Digital image analysis was conducted weekly : 1 , 3 and 5 days after painting according to methods of Karcher et al . for brightness and uniformity ( 2003 ; 2017 ). Each treatment was subjected to a cost analysis using $ 80 per concentrated bucket of Pioneer Bright Stripe white paint ( Pioneer Athletics ). Cost per bucket was determined using a 1:1 paint and water ratio for eight home games per season .
Results
The interaction of nozzle sizes x pressure settings was significant when analyzing color brightness . No differences were found between years , therefore data was pooled and analyzed . The 431 nozzle and highest pressure produced the highest brightness values ; however , it is of note that all treatments had brightness levels over 80 ( Figure 2 ). The increases in nozzle size and pressure corresponded to higher brightness values ( Figure 2 and Figure 3 ). The higher the volume applied , the greater the brightness values . The brightness of athletic turf paint was determined to be correlated to volume of paint applied . No differences were found in paint uniformity among treatments . No significant differences were detected in color brightness or uniformity 1 , 3 , or 5 days following paint application .
Volume difference among treat- sportsfieldmanagementonline . com December 2021 | SportsField Management
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