1a.Objectives (from AD-416)
The goals of this collaboration are to.
1)Determine the criteria necessary for use of constructed soils for playing fields through studying the development of a baseball park, soccer park, or a 9 hole par three golf course with the best of current design and technology;.
2)Establish and monitor/sample experimental plots which will be used to test the efficacy of constructed soil protocols developed by the AFSRC Constructed Soils research group and its Virginia Tech cooperators.

1b.Approach (from AD-416)
The proposed NFCA is intended to bring together a landowner with a significant turfgrass project that requires constructed soils, Virginia Tech faculty and students with knowledge of playing field and golf course construction and related soils management, and the AFSRC constructed soils for turfgrass applications group. It will also result in a three acre research/demonstration site where constructed soils recipes can be tested and their efficacy presented to the community.

3.Progress Report

The purpose of this agreement is to develop turfgrass technologies that can be used to build ball fields, playing fields, and/or low maintenance golf courses on landfill sites that have been released for further development. These technologies will have general applicability for parks and recreation, home lawns, and green spaces as well as landfill sites.

In coordination with 1932-12000-004-01S, a site has been selected and preliminary work done to prepare the site for a compaction experiment. RCSWA is providing the site, two of the three regionally predominant subsoils (local siltstone and sandstone subsoils), and the construction equipment and operators for construction of the experimental site. ARS is coordinating the work and will jointly be involved in data collection and analysis with cooperators from Virginia Tech. An ARS senior technician was assigned to oversee the actual construction and monitoring/data collection. Topsoil and three subsoils have been collected and moved to the site (the third subsoil was a limestone subsoil imported from the Greenbrier Valley of WV). Analyses of subsoil compactability have been done to determine equipment needs for the construction phase. In the fall, the preliminary site preparation was done and planted to grass to prevent erosion. Time and equipment constraints at the landfill have prevented further work during this year.

This NFCA aligns with NP 202, Soil Resource Management; Problem Area 1: Understanding and Managing Soil Biology and Rhizosphere Ecology; Focus Area 1: Improved understanding of soil biology and rhizosphere ecology; Problem Area 2: Soil Management to Improve Soil Structure and Hydraulic Properties; and Problem Area 9: Remediation of Degraded Soils.

ADODR oversight and resource management of this project has been via phone, email and monthly onsite visits and planning discussions.