Landscape & Irrigation

September 2014

Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.

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22 Landscape and Irrigation September 2014 www.landscapeirrigation.com C ornell University Assistant Professor of Horti- culture Dr. Jenny Kao-Kniffin is "working on a bunch of integrated research projects about how to manage weeds in landscapes and turf without the need for pesticides." Her ability to handily boil down sophisticated research into plain language is something she uses daily in her outreach and extension work as a weed ecolo- gist of urban landscapes. Kao-Kniffin runs a lab at Cornell with the overarching focus of studying the belowground ecology of invasive plants and weeds. Her research is mostly of the applied variety, because it seeks to solve particular problems or answer practical needs. It's the kind of research that will directly affect a landscape and turf professional's knowledge base and bottom line. School grounds, research grounds In 2010, New York State passed the Child Safe Playing Fields Law (CSPFL), which restricts the use of conventional pesticides from K-12 school grounds, playing fields, and daycare centers, both public and private. Connecticut already had a similar law in place for schools through 8th grade; Massachusetts has regulation, albeit less stringent; and many other state legislatures, like those of New Jersey and Maine, are considering bans. There's huge momentum here that can be expected to even- Applied Research and the Bottom Line By Michelle Sutton Turf and ornamentals work at the Kao-Kniffin lab Industry Insights Left: Urban Landscape Weed Ecologist Dr. Jenny Kao-Kniffin (right) with Weed Scientist Dr. Andy Senesac at the Cornell Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center Weed Garden, which is overseen by Senesac. Photo by Kevin Kniffin. Right: With new legislation restricting the use of pesticides, school facilities managers and the lawn care contractors they partner with need non-chemical options to manage weeds on school grounds. Photo by Michelle Sutton

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