SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/49194
FieldScience tion, which is the loss of applied N as ammonia to the atmosphere. Our work using large-scale plots has shown re- duced N loss from volatilization when N sources other than urea are used. Last, we continue to conduct work in the area of foliar fertilization, focusing on both sources and application rates.-Dr. Beth Guertal I am doing work on Roundup toler- Editor's note: In our December 2009 and February 2010 issues we published reports from some leading turfgrass researchers in the US on their current studies. For this issue we asked the same academics to update us on those projects and inform on new ones. NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY Athletic Field Turf Paint Impacts Light Spectral Quality and Turfgrass Photosyn- thesis. Doctoral graduate student Casey Reynolds has been investigating chronic de- clines in turfgrass health and quality from re- peated applications of athletic field paint. Studies have evaluated photosynthesis re- sponse to paint as well as the transmission, reflectance, and absorption of light based on paint color, dilution, and thickness. Results have proven that paints will differentially re- duce photosynthesis based on color and dilu- tion. This research has allowed us to rank common paint colors along a scale that shows their potential to reduce photosynthesis.- Grady Miller and Casey Reynolds, Crop Sci- ence Department. Evaluation of Athletic Field Paint Ap- plication Methods. Master of Science stu- dent Drew Pinnix initiated his research in fall 2011 with the primary objective to deter- mine if he can influence paint and turfgrass performance using different paint application techniques. A series of studies have been de- signed to test several hypotheses related to application pressures, directional application, paint thickness, various additives, timings, and products. Many of these trials conducted over the next 2 years will use information gained from previous work on spectral qual- 8 SportsTurf | December 2011 ity and photosynthesis.-Grady Miller and Drew Pinnix, Crop Science Department. As a follow-up project from a few years ago, we are planning another broad-based screening of green turf colorants as an al- ternative to overseeding warm-season turf- grasses. We evaluated 12 green turf colorants on dormant grasses a few years ago with great results. In the past 3 years at least a dozen new products have been released on the mar- ket. Drew Pinnix and Scott Brinton will be screening these new products alongside the old products on athletic field height of cut and putting green height of cut. Several new data points will be collected this time around, including more detailed look at ap- plication timing and color-fastness of these products.-Grady Miller, Drew Pinnix, and Scott Brinton, Crop Science Department Compiled by Dr. Grady Miller AUBURN UNIVERSITY Research in turfgrass nutrition has fo- cused on pathways of N loss in fertilized turfgrass. Because of the ever-increasing in- terest in the potential of nutrient loss from fertilized turfgrass we have conducted many studies that examine the loss of N via down- ward movement, or leaching. If fertilized cor- rectly (both rate and source) we rarely find significant nitrate-N loss from fertilized turf- grasses. Another path of N loss is volatiliza- ant ryegrass, known as Gly-Rye, a prod- uct of Jacklin Seed. We are finding that these cultivars have a significant degree of glyphosate tolerance. Utilizing these cultivars would allow for use of glyphosate to control Poa annua and other weed species. There is potential to apply 0.5 to 1.0 lb ae/a of glyphosate with little to no injury to ryegrass and excellent Poa control. Timing is critical for control and I am currently trying to address the need to tank-mix with other herbicides to potentially prevent herbi- cide resistance development. I am also researching other herbi- cides for Poa annua control. Two pri- mary herbicides are amicarbazone and methiozolin. These herbicides must be timed properly for appropriate turfgrass safety and Poa control. I am seeing a lot of positive things from both of these products and they will greatly benefit the turf industry in the future.-Dr. Scott McElroy UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS The University of Massachusetts Turf Program conducts a wide range of re- search at both the UMass Joseph Troll Turf Research Center as well as at vari- ous field sites throughout the northeast. Our goal is to enhance the functional use of turfgrasses while reducing the en- vironmental impact of turf management practices. Presented below are sum- maries of selected projects of particular interest to sports field managers. Items were compiled by Mary Owen, exten- sion turf specialist. Wear Trials in Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass Maintained Under Close Height of Cut, by J. Scott Ebdon, PhD. These are new trials that www.sportsturfonline.com