PROBLEM: Brown turf in irregular line

TURFGRASS AREA: College football stadium

LOCATION: Blacksburg, Virginia

TURFGRASS VARIETY: Latitude 36 bermudagrass

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The brown turf in this irregular line occurred during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The university was closed during this time, and students had been sent home in mid-March for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester. However, the stadium remained open in May for students to return and take traditional graduation photographs on the field. It is difficult to determine exactly when the“ celebrations” occurred, but the senior field manager observed numerous students popping bottles of champagne directly on the stadium field during this period. The grounds crew also found empty champagne bottles and other post-celebration trash scattered across the field. One day, an irregular line of dead turf appeared near midfield, between the 30- and 50-yard lines. This is an ideal location for graduation photographs, with the stadium scoreboard and campus providing a backdrop. The assumption is that the damage was caused by someone pouring champagne onto the turf in a concentrated stream while walking across the field. I imagine there may even be an Instagram video of the celebratory walk somewhere out there. After the damage was discovered, the area was flushed with water. Realistically, however, the damage had already been done to the turf where the champagne had been poured in such a concentrated manner. Because the campus was closed, there was no immediate rush to repair the area. With regular fertilization, mowing and irrigation, the bermudagrass eventually recovered on its own through lateral spread.

Photo submitted by Dan Sandor, Ph. D., collegiate assistant professor, Turfgrass Science, at Virginia Tech. Story also elaborated on by Mike Goatley, Ph. D., professor at Virginia Tech. Emerson Pulliam is associate director, football.

John Mascaro is president of Turf-Tec International

If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro’ s Photo Quiz, please send a high-resolution digital photo to John Mascaro at john @ turf-tec. com. If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All photos become property of SportsField Management magazine and the Sports Field Management Association.