Sward density is best described as what?

• A. The amount of live leaf tissue per unit area.
• B. The total root depth per area.
• C. The soil moisture per area.
• D. The leaf area index only.

Answer: (A)

Sward density is about how much live leaf tissue is packed into a given unit of ground area. It reflects canopy biomass per area, so a dense sward has more leaf tissue occupying the same ground space, influencing how much light the turf intercepts, how quickly it wears, and how often you might mow.

The other ideas don’t fit as well: root depth per area describes underground biomass, not the surface canopy; soil moisture per area is a property of the soil, not the plant tissue density; leaf area index measures how much leaf surface area there is per unit ground area, which relates to light capture but is not the same as the amount of live tissue.