Root activity in creeping bentgrass thatch as measured by 32P and 33P

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Abstract
A soil sample taken for chemical analysis should be representative of the growing medium of the plant. Turfgrasses often have thatch layers between the zone of green vegetation and the soil surface, and this thatch layer is generally discarded in the process of soil analysis. These thatch layers contain both roots and nutrient elements. If turfgrass roots are actively involved in removing nutrients from the thatch, there may be advantages to including it with the soil for testing purposes. 32P and 33P were used to separately label the thatch layer and the underlying soil of creeping bentgrass (A. palustris Huds. ''Penncross''). The roots of creeping bentgrass simultaneously removed P from the thatch and fromthe underlying soil. If the soil samples taken from turfgrass areas are to be truly representative of soil capacity to supply nutrients, the thatch should be retained with the samples.