THE LAWN INSTITUTE TURFGRASS RESEARCH UPDATE
By Casey Reynolds, PhD
Te Lawn Institute (TLI), the Foundation of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI), has a long-standing history of funding natural turfgrass research at nationally and globally recognized universities. Each year, TLI sends out a call for proposals to university researchers throughout the world to be compiled and reviewed by the TLI Research Committee at the TPI International Education Conference & Field Day. Te TLI Research Committee members are comprised of TPI members, staff, university educators, and industry personnel to ensure that TPI members and their interests are fully represented in the process while also leaning on university, USGA, and NTEP personnel in an advisory capacity for input on current research at other institutions.
Duane Klundt, GO (Grassland Oregon) is serving as chair of the 2018 committee. Mike Pope, Harmony Brands, is vice-chair; and Steve Griffen, Saratoga Sod Farm, Inc., is the TPI Board liaison. Jim Keeven, SelecTurf, Inc., serves as a committee member. In addition, Casey Reynolds, PhD, serves as one of the advisors to the committee. Reynolds, along with all other advisors to the committee, do not vote on projects but are present to provide technical input on the quality and potential impact of proposals.
Applications for research funds can be requested on any topic, but the TLI Research Committee places priority on specific research areas that serve natural turfgrass producers and the turfgrass industry. With the help of the TLI research committee, these areas were updated for 2018 and are listed below. Other basic guidelines of the proposals include: applicants are encouraged to adhere to all TLI forms, formats, and deadlines for full consideration of proposals; proposals for single or multiple-year projects will be considered as long as the years and funding amounts are clearly stated; funds cannot be used for faculty salaries; proposals seeking funds for capital expenditures will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis; and overhead or administrative costs shall be held to an absolute minimum, but will not exceed 16 percent.
TLI Research Areas
• Cultural Impacts of Natural Turfgrass - Research that includes, but is not limited to, societal health and well-being, fitness, athletic field safety, socio- economics, consumer attitudes, etc.
• Environmental Awareness of Natural Turfgrass - Research that includes, but is not limited to, carbon sequestration, heat abatement, pollution entrapment, soil remediation, run-off reductions, etc.
• Natural Turfgrass Input Reductions - Research that includes, but is not limited to, drought tolerance, reduced water use, nutrient requirements, traffic tolerance, integrated pest management, etc.
• Extending Harvested Shelf-Life of Natural Turfgrass
• Reducing Production Costs of Natural Turfgrass
• Natural Turfgrass Research Communication & Education - Information that can be used to develop content on Te Lawn Institute website for educating policymakers, homeowners, and the general public on turfgrass science, management, impacts, etc. Tis can include literature reviews on environmental impacts, turfgrass benefits, region- specific turfgrass selection and management, weed/ insect/disease control, and more.
Tis year, the committee received 19 research proposals focused on items including turfgrass insects, diseases, genetics and plant breeding, turfgrass water use, turfgrass cooling effects, biostimulants, plant growth regulators, and sod harvestability. Te Lawn Institute Research Committee met on Tuesday, February 13, in Tucson, AZ, during the TPI 2018 International Conference & Field Day to review, discuss, and vote on these research proposals. Te committee decided to fund the five university research projects listed in Table 1, in addition to four projects already underway. Tese projects represent a wide range of topics that can benefit TPI members both locally and globally. Projects including those such as turfgrass water use, urban heat islands, runoff, and cooling effects are all big-picture items that can be useful in long-term regulatory discussions, while projects on harvest aids for improved shelf-life and developing a pest-control guide for members are items that can provide practical and immediate benefits to TPI members.
12 TPI Turf News September/October 2018
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