washboard effectSee rippling.

wear The collective injurious effects of traffic on a turf.

western blot A procedure for transfer of proteins after separation on a polyacrylamide gel to a suitable immobilizing matrix such as a nitrocellulose sheet. The proteins attached to the support matrix can then be probed with a specific antibody to identify a particular protein species. Usage: Not capitalized. Compare Southern blot; northern blot.

wet weight Weight before drying.

whipping pole A bamboo stalk or other pole used in poling turf.

whorl stage Developmental stage of a grass plant prior to the emergence of the inflorescence. Synonym (in the grass family): vegetative stage.

wind pollination The movement of pollen from the anther to the stigma by action of natural wind currents.

windrow A row of cut or uprooted plants raked up or pulled together to dry and/or to facilitate harvest. See also swathing.

winter discolorationSee low-temperature discoloration.

winter overseeding Seeding cool-season turfgrasses over warm-season turfgrasses at or near their start of winter dormancy; used in mild climates to provide green, growing turf during the winter period when the warm-season species are brown and dormant.

winterkill Any injury to turfgrass plants that occurs during the winter period.