2017-2018. Te Lawn Institute will continue funding of this research through that date.
“Turfgrass Irrigation and It’s Impact on Heat Island Mitigation & Energy Consumption” is ongoing, with the principal investigator Dr. Bernd Leinauer of New Mexico State University. Tis research project was approved in 2015, with funding beginning in 2016-2017 and pledged to continue through the scheduled completion of the project at the end of 2019.
Te “USGA/NTEP National Evaluation of Cool-Season Turfgrass Water Use And Drought Resistance” is ongoing, with the principal investigators Kevin Morris of NTEP and Dr. Mike Kenna of the USGA. (As Te Lawn Institute Research Committee members, Morris and Kenna abstained from voting on funding this trial.) Te Lawn Institute’s funding support for this project began in 2016-2017 and will continue through 2019. Te trial is scheduled for completion in 2020.
In their statement of the problem to be addressed by their project, McKenna and Morris reported, “Turfgrass is being scrutinized for its water use, leading to restriction or replacement of turf in some areas, notably California. Water utilities, looking to reduce outdoor water use, have led the charge to encourage homeowners, municipalities and businesses to reduce or replace turf, often offering financial incentives. Te turfgrass industry has been working to develop cultivars that use less water, but there is a need to evaluate, on a national level, actual water use rates of these new cultivars. To address this, the project has established such trials at multiple locations, using cool-season grass species to document water savings of new cultivars under rainout shelters and zone-level irrigation systems.”
Of course Te Lawn Institute is not the major entity funding a research project of this magnitude. As discussed during the 2016 Te Lawn Institute Research Committee Meeting, the USGA has budgeted considerable funding to conduct the national water use and drought tolerance trial, utilizing NTEP as its evaluation organization. Other groups, such as the Washington Turfgrass Seed Commission, are providing funding as well.
As addressed in Te Lawn Institute Research Committee discussions and noted within the section on significant potential benefits of the project findings, “… it is important the turf industry come together to cooperate on a project such as this, demonstrating that reducing water use is important to this industry, as well as to show that we have been successful in reducing water use.” For Te Lawn Institute, it is highly beneficial to join forces with the USGA, NTEP and other participating groups on this project. As further noted, “Tis will put Te Lawn Institute in a leadership position, aligning with other national groups to focus on turfgrass water use and conservation.”
TPI Turf News September/October 2017
A Rainout shelter, such as this one at the Rutgers Adelphia Turf Farm, is rolled over the testing area when rainfall is predicted to prevent moisture from reaching the grasses being tested for conditions under no watering for specified periods
Outreach Turfgrass research has become a cooperative effort, involving multiple entities to drive scientific research in key areas, provide funding for it and ensure the results are accessible to those that will benefit from them.
Te Lawn Institute has long been one of the most respected authorities in the world among turfgrass professionals and scientists for monitoring, reporting and interpreting the latest advances in turfgrass research, landscape horticulture, and agronomic science.
Te Lawn Institute is taking a pro-active stance in communicating the benefits of turfgrass to the public. Outreach through the website
www.thelawninstitute.org and press releases addressing industry-related issues are proving effective.
In addition, the collective efforts of Te Lawn Institute and Turfgrass Producers International, along with the Irrigation Association (IA), the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance (NHLA), and the leadership of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), the 2017 National Lawn Care Month campaign achieved over 1.4 million impressions worldwide.
Another, highly visible outreach is attracting attention as well. Te Lawn Institute (along with Turfgrass Producers International) is a sponsor of the Grass Roots initiative, a collaboration between NTF and the U. S. National Arboretum (operated by the USDA-ARS). Te Grass Roots interactive display in Washington, DC, showcases the uses of turf, the management of turf, the benefits of turf, and the value of turf.
Klundt says, “Te many benefits of turfgrass are proven facts, backed by scientific evidence revealed through research. Te Lawn Institute funding has, and continues to, assist in providing this information to the industry and, through Te Lawn Institute’s outreach efforts, to the public. It’s a valuable role that has world-wide consequences.”
Steve Trusty is co-editor of Turf News. All photos by Steve Trusty.
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