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 through application of wilt-based irrigation could induce the production of beneficial compounds during cold hardening, such as sugars and proteins. As a result, wilt-based irrigation also resulted in improved freezing tolerance of some perennial ryegrass culti- vars. Additional research is underway to improve management practices aimed at improving freezing tolerance of perennial ryegrass. Sponsors: New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation, USGA, O.J. Noer Research Foundation, Adirondack Golf Course Superintendents Association. This technology is capable of removing fertilizer, pesticide and hydrocarbon residues from wash water, thus allowing it to be reused or safely released back into the environment. The Use of Constructed Wetlands for Reclamation of Wash Water for the Turf Industry, by Lesley Spokas, PhD, Michelle DaCosta, PhD and J.S. Ebdon, PhD. There is increased pressure on the turf industry to use more environmentally sustainable ap- proaches in turf management. To that end, constructed wetlands have the capacity to remove significant amounts of organic mat- ter, nutrients, heavy metals, and pesticides through chemical, physical, and biological processes. In 2011 we constructed an artifi- cial wetland onsite at the UMass Turf Re- search Center for the primary purpose of remediating wash water used on turf ma- chinery. Because the surface of the con- structed wetland is composed of sand with selected vegetation, equipment such as mowers and sprayers will be washed down directly on the wetland area. This technol- ogy is capable of removing fertilizer, pesti- cide and hydrocarbon residues from wash water, thus allowing it to be reused or safely released back into the environment. Treat- ment wetlands have few if any electrical or mechanical parts and are either carbon neu- tral or have a "positive" carbon footprint 10 SportsTurf | December 2011 since plants consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen while treating the waste. The information gathered over the next several years during grow-in and field use will be used as part of a larger set of best management practices for minimizing the impact of pesticide and nutrient use on water and soil quality. Tolerance of Kentucky bluegrass Cul- tivars to the Herbicide Velocity- Bispyribac-Sodium, by J. Scott Ebdon, PhD and Prasanta Bhowmik, PhD. This study assessed Kentucky bluegrass tolerance to the herbicide Velocity, which is a useful compound in the control of annual blue- grass. In this test 110 cultivars maintained at 1.25 inch height of cut were evaluated for their herbicide tolerance. Velocity was applied at 0.05 ounces per acre on 29 June, 2011. Visual injury was assessed weekly (using a 1 to 9 rating scale with 9=no in- jury) following treatment, with the greatest injury occurring 4 weeks after treatment (4WAT). Injury ratings at 4WAT ranged from 2.0 to 8.7. The following cultivars ex- hibited good tolerance to Velocity (ratings of 6 and higher) at 4WAT: Aries, Be- witched, Blueberry, Everglade, Hampton, Midnight and Mystere. Sponsor: National Turfgrass Evaluation Program In addition, the UMass faculty and staff are conducting a number of other research projects spanning the gamut of disciplines within the field of turf management. These include: management of dollar spot and snow mold; fungicide resistance manage- ment; breeding for disease resistance; effects of wetting agents on drought resistance and recovery; various weed management trials; annual bluegrass weevil, oriental beetle and turf damaging nematode management; re- ducing pesticide exposure to turf users; and protection of water resources from turf management materials. For more informa- tion on these and other projects, visit the UMass Turf Program website at www.umassturf.org and click on Research. PENN STATE At Penn State's Center for Sports Surface Research, we continue to focus on both natural and synthetic turf research. We have a number of exciting projects underway and look forward to new projects that are already planned for the spring. The research section of our website includes links to many of our studies along with other re- lated research (http://cropsoil.psu.edu/ssrc/research). Natural Turf Research Projects: Trinexapac-ethyl on sports turf. Since our last research update, we have completed our second study evaluating the effects of trinexapac-ethyl (TE) applications on the divot resistance of Kentucky bluegrass ath- letic fields. Our results showed that apply- ing TE monthly from May through July improved divot resistance in the fall by up to 20%. TE improved divot resistance most on a high-sand rootzone, but benefits were also found on native soil. Results from our studies indicate that the application TE throughout the spring and summer serves to "pre-stress condition" the turf before fall play by increasing tiller density and rooting. Our studies simulated fall-only turf use, such as on a stadium field. A TE program is not recommended for high-use fields under continuous play. The new tall fescue—a viable option for sports turf? The current generation of turf-type tall fescue may offer an acceptable alternative to perennial ryegrass and/or Kentucky blue- grass on athletic fields in certain situations. We are investigating summer establishment methods that maximize turf coverage at the end of the fall playing season. We are look- ing at various seeding rates (6 to 18 lbs/1000 ft2) and several nitrogen rates (2 to 7 lbs /1000 ft2). Initial results show that for a short establishment period (10 weeks before use), a low seeding rate and a high nitrogen rate maximize turf coverage later in the fall (after fall field use). For a longer establishment time, higher seeding rates and lower nitrogen rates provided the great- est turf coverage in late fall. We have also observed that tall fescue was less traffic tol- erant than perennial ryegrass when traffic was initiated 10 weeks after seeding. How- ever, when traffic was initiated 14 weeks after seeding, all turf-type tall fescue exhib- ited greater traffic tolerance than perennial ryegrass. Perennial ryegrass traffic tolerance. As part of the NTEP program, we are evaluat- ing the traffic tolerance of all perennial rye- grass cultivars in the current trial. While we are excited to see how each cultivar per- www.sportsturfonline.com