Quantitative Growth

An increase in the value, number or extent of something which is readily measurable. Economically this might be GDP for a country, or turnover or profit for an organisation. From a resource perspective this can be an increase in the consumption of natural and/or artificial resources, for example, fertilisers or top-dressings. The number of users of a facility, or spectators can be related to quantitative growth, although there is a ceiling above which growth cannot continue, for example, there is a maximum capacity to a stadium, unless of course reconstruction work increases the maximum number of spectators.

Plant growth, especially relative plant growth, can be measured quantitively, as can grass clippings (as a measure of dry weight). The growth of bacteria can be exponential for periods of time. Over time growth cannot continue to increase quantitively as a compound increase because there is a limit to natural resources and also biological growth patterns.

From a ground’s management perspective, it can be argued that a ‘steady state’ of improvements through qualitative measures rather than increasing use of ever more expensive resource inputs to achieve often quite subjective values for some performance standards, is the correct approach to ensuring sustainable turf surfaces are provided for current and future generations of users. This approach would still require natural and artificial resource inputs, but at a level that the ecosystem can regenerate to counter extraction and also ensuring that waste, and pollution from extraction and manufacture, can be safely incorporated back into the environment without adverse effects. However, from many a commercial supplier’s perspective this would, typically, not be an attractive proposition because it would negatively impact on their economic growth.