Last year, the committee received seven research proposals focused on items such as genotype screening for specific traits or stress responses, irrigation requirements for diverse landscapes, sod installation techniques, insect control, reclaimed water, and soil health. Following individual review and ranking of the projects, Te Lawn Institute Research Committee met during the February 2022 TPI International Education Conference to review, discuss, and vote on these research proposals. Te university research projects selected for funding in 2022 are listed below in Table 2 along with past projects that are still currently being funded or that were concluded in 2021. Tese projects represent a wide range of topics that can benefit TPI members both locally and globally.


Table 2. Research Projects Funded by Te Lawn Institute in 2022. TLI Research Project Title


Principal


Determining the Impact of Post-planting Cultural Practices on Sodded Lawn Water Needs in the Cool-Humid Region


Athlete Hydration during Physical Activity in Excessive Heat on Artificial Turf and Natural Grass


Long-term Environmental Impacts and Energy Balance of Lawn Removal and Conversion to Alternative Landscapes


Sod Strength Characteristics of 24 Fine fescue Cultivars


Irrigation Requirements and Consumer Preference for Six Diverse Landscapes in the Arid Western U.S.


Investigating Environmental Implications of Reclaimed Water Use for Turfgrass Areas


Stress Response Characteristics Facil- itated by Endophytes in Commercially Available Perennial Ryegrass, Tall Fescue, and Fine Fescue Cultivars in Oregon


USGA/NTEP National Water-Use Trial – Warm-Season Species


Cale Bigelow, PhD


Chase Straw, PhD, and Steven Reichman, PhD


Ben Wherley, PhD


Aaron Patton, PhD, and Ross Braun


Tony Koski, PhD Marco Schiavon, PhD Alec Kowalewski, PhD Institution Purdue University Texas A&M Texas A&M Purdue University Colorado State University University of Florida Oregon State University 2020-21 2021 2021-23 2021-23 2022-24 2022-23 2022-23


Approved Total Grant $20.000


$5,000 $30,000 $20,351 $9,450 $19,780 $20,000


Kevin Morris


NTEP


2018-21


$30,000


Determining the Impact of Post- Planting Cultural Practices on Sodded Lawn Water Needs in the Cool-Season Humid Region (2020-21, $20,000)


Te overall goal of this project is to document the effects of various post-planting cultural management practices that could help to reduce supplemental water needs of sodded Kentucky bluegrass lawns.


Experimental Procedures


A locally sourced (Purdy Sod, Lafayette, IN) Kentucky bluegrass sod blend was planted in a fixed roof rain-out shelter in the fall of 2019 on a silt-loam soil at the William H. Daniel Turfgrass Research Center in West Lafayette, IN. Te study area was divided in the fall of 2019 to assess the effects of various post-planting cultural inputs for their effect on managing the sod layer. A factorial


TPI Turf News September/October 2022


arrangement of four cultural practices were implemented, they were: spring/fall core aeration (3/4-inch [1.905 cm.] tines), spring/fall compost (vermicompost), a surfactant (liquid applied in 2020 and using surfactant on an organic fertilizer granular carrier in 2021) and overseeding with a turf-type tall fescue blend (10 lbs./1000 sq. ft. [4.536 kg./92.903 sq. m.]) in the autumn of 2019 and 2020 in conjunction with compost application. Soil cultivation was stripped across each replication while compost, soil surfactant, and overseeding treatments were randomized within each strip with three replications of each treatment.


Treatments were initiated in the fall of 2019 with core aeration and .50 cubic ft. (.0142 cubic m.) of compost applied on 22 October 2019; 22 April and 5 June 2020; and a liquid soil surfactant applied on 25 October 2019, and 5 June 2020, and watered into the soil; overseeding occurred on 24 October 2019, and 22 October 2020, using ‘Hound-Dogs’ turf-type tall fescue blend (DLF-Pickseed, Halsey, OR). Te turf was maintained at 3 inches (7.5 cm.) using a rotary mower and mowed twice weekly prior to the


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