NCR-192 North Central Regional Turfgrass

2004

New Regional Project Draft

Shui-Zheng Fei

Title: Reducing inputs to maximize environmental gains while maintaining acceptable turf quality- NCR-192 regional cooperative project

Statements of the issues and justification

· Dwindling natural resources (water, energy, etc.)

· Deterioration of environmental quality and the high cost for remediation

· Issues are common to the region

· Too large to be undertaken by a single institution

· Provide information for breeding

· Better informed public and use of resources

· Create more options for turfgrass managers

Related, current and previous work

The previous regional research project on the evaluation of low maintenance turfgrasses for the North Central region has resulted in one journal article (Diesburg et al., 1997. Species for low-input sustainable turf in the U.S. upper Midwest. Agron. J. 89:690-694). Current breeding efforts have generated novel germplasm that show great promise for low maintenance turf. For example, a newly developed hybrid bluegrass combines the heat and drought tolerance of the Texas bluegrass with the freezing tolerance of Kentucky bluegrass. However, the germplasm have not been tested on a regional scale, therefore their potential as low input turfgrass have not been realized.

Objectives

1: Evaluate the field performance of 13 alternative species under low input conditions.

2: Obtain information on best management strategy for each of the 13 species.

3: Obtain information that can be used for turfgrass breeders to improve specific traits of some of the species tested.

Methods

The following 13 species will be used for this trial:

‘RoadCrest’ crested wheatgrass
Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis)
Tuffed hairgrass  (Descampsia caespitosa)
'Blacksheep' sheep fescue
'Berkshire' hard fescue
Praire junegrass (Koeleria cristata)
Alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans)
'ThermalBlue' Heat tolerant hybrid bluegrass ( Kentucky bluegrass X Texas bluegrass)
HB 329 Heat Tolerant Hybrid bluegrass ( Kentucky bluegrass X Texas bluegrass)
’ShadeStar’ Crested dogs tail (Cynosurus cristatus)

‘Bad River’ blue grama

‘SR7150’ or ‘SR7000’ colonial bentgrass

‘Grande II’ tall fescue

The experimental design will be a randomized complete block design. Entry plot size will be 3’ X 5’. Three mowing heights at no mow, 2” and 4” will be applied to each species and will be randomized within each of the three blocks as 5- by 39-feet strips perpendicular to and across all entries (see tables). Mowing frequency will be once every month during the growing season except for the no mow treatment.

Block 1

A

B

2” mowing height C

39 ft D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

D

C

No mowing B

39 ft F

A

K

J

I

M

E

G

H

L

D

C

4” mowing height B

F

39 ft A

K

J

I

M

E

G

H

L

Block 2

A

B

4” mowing height C

D

39 ft E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

D

A

No mowing B

F

39 ft C

K

J

I

M

E

G

L

H

D

L

2” mowing height B

F

39 ft A

J

KJ

I

M

E

G

H

C

Block 3

M

2” mowing height L

39 ft C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

A

B

L

H

4” mowing height B

39 ft F

A

K

J

I

M

E

G

A

D

I

J

No mowing B

F

39 ft A

K

A

D

M

E

G

H

L

Minimum field size is 39 X 3 X 15 which is 1755 square feet.

There will be two approaches to establishing the plots. Five participating institutes will establish plots through dormant seeding. Briefly, we need to prepare seed bed and then closely monitor the soil temperature at a 2-inch depth until it reaches a point when it’s considered safe for dormant seeding (50F?).Once seeded, the researchers need to cover the seeds with Futarra^® blanket (http://www.conwedfibers.com/futerra/futerra.html) to avoid erosion (Each researcher is responsible for purchasing this product). No starter fertilizers, irrigation or herbicides will be applied during dormant seeding. The rest of the participating institutions will establish their plots with a typical fall seeding procedure during early fall when winter injuries are unlikely to occur as seed germinate. Efforts will be made to ensure successful establishment in the fall. This includes the use of a starter fertilizer (P₂O₅ at 98kg per ha and 49 kg N per ha?) and irrigation. Trimec Classic will be applied at each site to control broadleaf weeds in the spring following the establishment. No preemergence herbicides shall be applied.

Persistence and uniformity will be the two primary criteria to determine quality of each plot. Quality data will be taken monthly by all collaborators during the growing season. Different ratings will be applied toward no mow, 2” and 4” mowing heights as they represent different situations. Other data including density, percent coverage and percent of other species will be taken during the month of May, July and September every year by each collaborator.

Measurement of progress and results

Output 1: identify the best species for the region under low-input.

Output 2: obtain information on best management for each species to maintain acceptable turfgrass quality under low-input.

Output 3: generate useful information for turfgrass breeders.

Output 4: publish a joint peer-reviewed publication; annual turfgrass research report in each state, web site

Outcomes or projected impacts:

Outcome/Impact 1: The use of low-input species will provide economic benefits due to the reduced use of fertilization, water and pesticides.

Outcome/Impact 2: The use of low-input species will improve environmental quality due to the reduced use of fertilization, water and pesticides.

The use of low-input species will provide economic benefits due to the reduced use of fertilization, water and pesticides.

Milestones:

Year 2006-7: Identification of species that perform well under low-input.