The demand for natural turfgrass in professional sports is increasing due to concerns over higher injury rates associated with artificial turf. However, domed stadiums often use artificial turf because these venues host events that do not require natural grass. To provide a temporary natural turfgrass playing surface, a shallow turfgrass profile – consisting of big roll sod grown on plastic (SOP) over geocellular drainage modules – has been developed. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.; KBG) is a commonly used cool-season grass in SOP production for sports fields, but it faces challenges due to its slow germination, which can lead to potential soil erosion during the early stages of establishment. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.; PRG), known for its rapid germination, may stabilize the soil while KBG is still germinating. However, the optimal seeding ratios for combining these grasses in SOP production and domed stadiums remain unclear. Three studies were conducted: the first two studies focused on SOP production at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center in 2023 and 2024, and the third study focused on controlled environments at the FIFA Indoor Pitch Simulator Facility in 2024. The first study aimed to evaluate the effects of different KBG:PRG seeding ratios (100:0, 98:2, 96:4, 92:8, 84:16, 0:100) on cool-season SOP production. After four months, results indicated that even a small percentage of PRG significantly enhanced turfgrass cover, with the 84:16 KBG:PRG mix showing a 58% increase in tensile strength compared to the 100:0 ratio. This suggests that the 84:16 ratio is optimal for producing harvestable KBG-dominated sod in a short time frame. Unexpectedly, pure PRG (0:100) exhibited the highest turfgrass cover and tensile strength among treatments, highlighting the potential for PRG in SOP production. Hence, the second study aimed to determine the optimum PRG seeding rates (1.5, 3, 6, and 9 pure live seeds cm−2) for SOP production. Results showed that the 1.5 PLS cm−2 rate exhibited lower turfgrass coverage and shear strength at 4 weeks after seeding but higher tensile strength at 12 weeks compared to the higher seeding rates. The rates , 1.5 and 3 PLS cm−2 , were identified as optimal for balancing turfgrass coverage and sod harvestability. Lastly, the third study aimed to investigate the effects of different KBG:PRG seeding ratios (100:0, 98:2, 96:4, 92:8, 84:16, 0:100) during SOP production on turfgrass quality and performance under artificial lighting and trafficked conditions. Results indicated that traffic application significantly reduced turfgrass color and green cover, but KBG:PRG ratios showed similar performance in turfgrass color, percent green cover, maximum shear stress, and maximum displacement.
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