Low Input Turf

By Ross Braun and Aaron Patton, Purdue University

Fine fescues are being intensively studied by a team of researchers, which includes Drs. Aaron Patton and Ross Braun from Purdue University, working a grant titled "Increasing Low-Input Turfgrass Adoption through Breeding, Innovation, and Public Education" from USDA-NIFA through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative.

Learn more about our latest work!  The Low Input Turf project team has written two recent articles.

By Michael Barnes, University of Minnesota

A recent article by Maria Ignatieva and colleagues has prompted me to reflect on the importance of going beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries in turf research and both my past work as part of the Low Input Turf project as well as my current work. Ignatieva and her colleagues led a 3-year research project investigating lawns in Sweden aptly named the LAWN project. It brought together researchers from multiple disciplines, decision makers such as city council members, and users such as golfers and local residents.

By Emily Braithwaite and Alec Kowalewski, Oregon State University

Fine fescue golf courses are a staple of the Pacific Northwest.  Director of Agronomy Eric Johnson has been managing fine fescues on golf courses since 2001.  He began at Bandon Dunes, but has spent the last 8 years at Chambers Bay in Washington.  When he first arrived, the course was wall-to-wall fine fescue and colonial bentgrass.  But in the last two years, he has transitioned his greens over to annual bluegrass. 

By Bingru Huang, Rutgers University

Heat stress is a primary limiting factor for the growth of cool-season turfgrass species, as the optimal temperature for these species are between 60 and 75 ^oF, but summer temperatures in many areas are often much higher than this temperature range. One of the most desirable traits for cool-season turfgrasses, such as fine fescue, is good heat tolerance, which enables sustainable turf growth through hot summer months with reduced inputs.