Low Input Turf

By Chengyan Yue, Manlin Cui and Eric Watkins, University of Minnesota; and Aaron Patton, Purdue University

There are clear environmental and social benefits to increasing the use of low-input turfgrasses in home landscapes; however, to increase the market share and use of these grasses, it is crucial to understand the factors that influence consumers’ adoption decisions.

By Alec Kowalewski and Emily Braithwaite, Oregon State University

The National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) is a collaborative effort between turfgrass seed breeders and North American universities.  Under the direction of Kevin Morris, NTEP uses the following steps when developing and maintaining trials.

By Paul Koch, University of Wisconsin – Madison

As the Midwest and Northeast U.S. emerged from their winter snow covers in mid-March, it was clear that snow mold across the region was more damaging than normal. This was especially true in areas that don’t normally experience lots of snow mold such as southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

By Cathryn Chapman and Bingru Huang, Rutgers University

Heat stress can limit the growth of cool-season turfgrass species and inhibit important metabolic processes and functions, which can negatively impact the overall aesthetic qualities of the turfgrass canopy. Damages to the turfgrass canopy due to heat stress can be severe and permanent if turfgrass plants experience prolonged temperature conditions that are above the optimal level.

By Kristine Moncada, University of Minnesota

The Low Input Turf project is not the only fine fescue work we do at the University of Minnesota. Our team does other research that includes: fine fescues in roadside mixes, fine fescue sod, fine fescues in golf course roughs and fine fescue seed production. Yet another project that involves fine fescues is bee lawns.