Cynodon or Zoysia?

The College of Micronesia-FSM is developing a multi-sport playing field on the north side of the road. There are special grasses for playing fields, these grasses are called turf grasses. Turf grasses are an area of intense research and product development. Turf grasses are used for lawns, football fields, cricket pitches, golf courses, baseball outfields, and soccer fields.

For the tropical location of Pohnpei there are only two turf grasses that would have to be evaluated for suitability, Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and Zoysia grass (Zoysia japonica, Z. matrella). There are many factors to consider. The turf grass must be able to handle direct tropical sun, high levels of rain fall, poor soil quality, and being played upon. The last factor is called traffic tolerance. Research done in 2010 by Trappe, Patton, Karcher, and Richardson, included evaluation of tropical turf grasses for traffic tolerance in full sun conditions. The data provided is from table three of their report Shade and Traffic Tolerance of Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass - Year 2 results in Turfgrass Report 2009 published by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Service as report number 579. In table three the values refer to the percent green coverage in full sun treated with six weeks of traffic stress during the summer of 2009. Traffic stress was simulated using a CADY Traffic Simulator. The larger the green coverage number, the better.

Provide numeric statistical support for the answers to the following questions.

• Does Bermuda grass or Zoysiagrass provide a higher average green coverage? Based on what statistical support?
• Is the difference significant? Based on what statistical support?
• Looking only at green coverage, does it matter which the college uses and, if so, why?