Browsing by Author "Schwab, Ryan"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Can Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculum Improve Conditions of Various Golf Greens?
    (2020) Sessoms, Florence; Schwab, Ryan; Watkins, Eric
    Objective: Determine if repeated inoculations of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi would result in improved turfgrass quality, NDVI, and soil moisture of four different types of golf greens. Conclusion: Additional research is needed on the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculations for established golf greens in northern climates.
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    Improving Water Conservation On Golf Courses Through Wetting Agents And Unmown Roughs
    (2020-04) Schwab, Ryan
    Golf courses strive to conserve water using a variety of methods. In this thesis, I explored two water conservation approaches: improving wetting agent application efficiency and establishing low-input roughs. The objectives of three wetting agent experiments were to determine if soil temperature influences how long wetting agents can reduce soil water repellency persistence, and determine the spring benefits of late fall wetting agent applications on cool-season putting green turfgrass. These experiments did not prove soil temperature influences wetting agent longevity. The low-input rough experiment was an evaluation of fine fescue seeding rates and biomass removal timing for optimum weed suppression, golf ball visibility, and aesthetics. Results indicate seeding rate has a temporary influence on many factors including weed cover and golf ball visibility. Further investigation is needed to determine which environmental factors influence wetting agent fate, and observe long-term influence of seeding rates and biomass removal timing for low-input roughs.
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    Optimum Seeding Rate and Biomass Removal Timing for No-Mow Fine Fescue Golf Course Roughs
    (2019-11) Schwab, Ryan; Watkins, Eric; Hollman, Andrew; Horgan, Brian; Bauer, Sam
    The objective of this research project was to determine the optimum seeding rate and biomass removal timing for maximum weed suppression, golf ball visibility, and aesthetics.
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    Sustainable Turf Management
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2014) Persson, Ben; Mehus, Aaron; Brettingen, Joey; Graber, Christina; Fauth, David; Melzer, Erin; Prickel, Veronica; Schwab, Ryan; Yank, Peter; Lunseth, Shay; Trout, Ashley; Wildenauer, Matt
    This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between the City of Rosemount and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The City of Rosemount is home to more than 30 parks, yet has only four staff working to maintain them. With limited time and expertise to determine and respond to the unique needs of each park and recreation facility in the city, the Public Works Department had mostly standardized their maintenance techniques. The goal of this project was to identify more effective and efficient long-term maintenance techniques for parks within the City of Rosemount in order to better preserve its natural public spaces and promote active living as the population grows. In collaboration with Jim Koslowski, Public Works Supervisor for the City of Rosemount, and Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor for the City of Rosemount, four teams of students in HORT 4061: Turfgrass Management analyzed the soil, plant species, and drainage patterns at four different parks—the Dakota County Technical College Ames Soccer Complex, Brockway Disc Golf Course, Innisfree Park, and Meadows Park—and provided recommendations for how best to restore and maintain turf at these facilities. A combined final report from the project including links to brief YouTube videos on each of the parks is available.
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    Sustainable Turf Management for City of Watertown Athletic Fields
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2016) Brettingen, Joey; Schwab, Ryan; Lunseth, Shay; Qiu, Yinjie
    This project was completed as part of the 2015-2016 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Carver County. The City of Watertown was experiencing increased demand for athletic fields in the community. With no plans to build additional fields, public works staff wanted to identify strategies to better maintain existing playing fields so they could handle increased use. The goal of this project was to develop a set of best management practices for soccer fields in Watertown that would mitigate environmental impacts, reduce maintenance costs, and meet growing demand for fields. Project lead Shane Fineran from the City of Watertown worked with teams of students in HORT 4062: Turfgrass Weed and Disease Science and HORT 4063: Turfgrass Science to develop recommendations, which included increasing aeration to improve drainage and reduce the need for irrigation, eliminating weeds to reduce turf competition, and introducing new nitrogen fertilizer techniques. The students' final report and presentation are available.
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    Twin Cities assessment of turfgrass and bee lawn flora
    (2023-11) Schwab, Ryan; Watkins, Eric; Turbeville, Jillian; Christensen, Dominic; Lerman, Susannah; Kay, Adam
    Lawns are not monocultures.