Browsing by Subject "turfgrass"

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Association between Inflorescence Morphology and Seed Shattering in Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)
(2020) Barreto Ortiz, Joan; Watkins, Eric; Ehlke, Nancy
The objective of this preliminary study was to develop and implement an imaging system to explore the association between seed shattering and spike architecture. We found a significant association between spike morphology and seed shattering.
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.
Determining optimal nitrogen fertility rates for reduced-input fine fescue putting greens
(2018-11) Petrella, Dominic; Bauer, Sam; Horgan, Brian; Watkins, Eric
The use of nitrogen fertilizers on golf courses is scrutinized worldwide. Identifying alternatives to creeping bentgrass Agrostis stolonifera L for putting greens may help decrease nitrogen use while maintaining turfgrass quality. Fine fescue turfgrasses are known for lower nitrogen requirements and reduced input management. Fine fescues are used for putting greens in northern Europe, Ireland, the UK, and other European countries, but have received limited attention in the U.S. Our objective was to determine the optimum annual nitrogen fertilizer rate for maintaining a reduced input fine fescue putting green in Minnesota.
Developing Online Education and Training for Installation and Management of Roadside Turfgrasses
(2019-11) Moncada, Kristine; Trappe, Jon; Bauer, Sam; Watkins, Eric
Roadside turfgrass establishments often fail due to poor establishment, leading to losses of money and time for departments of transportation in the northern U.S. One of the reasons for this failure is a lack of training given to installers. To address some of the concerns turf installers have regarding roadside turfgrass establishment, we worked with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to create an online training course for contractors and other stakeholders called Installation and Management of Roadside Turfgrasses. The goal of this course is to teach students the importance of species selection for roadsides, what the proper establishment procedures are for seed and sod, and how to implement fundamental cultural practices for maintaining turfgrasses on roadsides in the northern U.S.
Drought tolerance of consumer turfgrass seed mixtures and blends
(2018-11) Sessoms, Florence; Sandor, Dan; Horgan, Brian; Bauer, Sam
Increased use of water for irrigation has become a concern in the Twin Cities especially during seasonal drought when demand for fresh water is highest. Homeowners could improve water conservation by choosing the right type of turfgrass species to meet their expectations. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the drought tolerance characteristics of consumer-available turfgrass seed mixtures and blends and to examine the effect of mowing height on drought tolerance and recovery from drought.
The effect of fine fescue species and seeding rate in no-mow areas
(2018-11) Hollman, Andrew; Watkins, Eric; Heineck, Garett
In northern states, fine fescues species are often used for low-input areas and are recommended for “No-Mow” situations. The correct seeding rate and species to use could vary depending on the users desired aesthetics, maintenance requirements, and site use. The objectives of this study were to evaluate five commonly-used fine fescue species for their suitability to be maintained with minimal mowing and to determine a seeding rate based on Pure Live Seeds (PLS) for a given area to maintain adequate quality without excessive biomass.
Environmental Impacts of Smart Irrigation and Mowing Height in Kentucky Bluegrass Lawns
(2019-11) Sandor, Dan; Horgan, Brian; Davis, Brian
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.; KBG) is the most widely used turfgrass species in Minnesota lawns, requiring routine cultural management inputs such as mowing and irrigation to maintain acceptable turfgrass quality. Previous research has suggested raising mowing heights and using improved irrigation technology to reduce inputs without sacrificing lawn quality. Limited information exists regarding the combined aesthetic impacts of mowing height + smart irrigation on lawn mowing requirements and their affects also their potential combined environmental impacts using improved irrigation and mowing practices.
Evaluating variation in shade tolerance among fine fescue species
(2018-11) Petrella, Dominic; Watkins, Eric
Tolerance to shade is a desired trait for cool-season turfgrasses, but improvement in shade tolerance has been challenging. Shade tolerant turfgrasses, when grown under quantitative and qualitative shade, should exhibit negligible etiolation, less chlorosis, and efficient carbohydrate partitioning, while maintaining normal amounts of tillering - therefore growing similar to full sun plants. Selection for shade tolerance in the field can be difficult due to large amounts of variation in shade intensity and the duration. The fine fescue (Festuca ssp.) turfgrasses are shade tolerant turfgrasses; however, there has been little investigation into the variability for shade tolerance within and among this turfgrass group. Our objective was to evaluate the use of a greenhouse-based approach for selecting of improved shade tolerance among the fine fescues.
Floral Enhancement of Turfgrass Lawns for the Benefit of Bee Pollinators in Minneapolis, Minnesota
(2020-01) Wolfin, James
The turfgrass lawn is a common feature of urban and suburban communities, often accounting for the largest green spaces by area in these landscapes. Flowering species within turfgrass lawns have the potential to serve as a source of forage for bee pollinators in urban and suburban areas. We intentionally introduced low-growing flowers to turfgrass lawns to promote bee diversity and reduce inputs, while maintaining the traditional aesthetics and recreational uses associated with lawns. We compared bee communities on lawns with naturally-occurring blooms of Trifolium repens to bee communities on florally enhanced lawns that contained Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata and Thymus serpyllum in addition to T. repens. T. repens supported both wild bee communities and A. mellifera colonies, as 56 species of bees were observed on T. repens, with A. mellifera as the most common species observed. We found that florally enhanced lawns supported more diverse bee communities than lawns with just T. repens. Furthermore, the bee communities supported by florally enhanced lawns were significantly different from the bee communities supported by lawns containing just T. repens based on presence-absence (Jaccard’s dissimilarity index). Our research indicates that A. mellifera colonies and wild bee communities can be supported by allowing T. repens to bloom in turfgrass lawns, and that further steps to promote the conservation of bees can be taken by land managers by intentionally introducing low-growing flowers to lawns.
Golf Course Superintendents’ Knowledge of Variability within Fairways
(2018-11) Straw, Chase; Horgan, Brian
Precision turfgrass management (PTM) relies heavily on mapping technologies (e.g. drones, GPS-equipped sensor devices) for identifying variability within turfgrass systems to implement variable rate or site-specific applications that can reduce management inputs. Despite recent advancements of mapping technologies in turfgrass, a number of factors have inhibited widespread adoption amongst managers; for example, cost and training associated with obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting spatial data. While focus continues towards improving mapping technologies, turfgrass managers’ knowledge of variability may be an overlooked and underutilized tool for PTM. Demonstrating the extent of knowledge that turfgrass managers encompass regarding variability, and how they can apply this knowledge to management practices, could offer a practical, low cost starting point for PTM implementation.
Hard fescue (Festuca brevipila) reference transcriptome generated by PabBio Isoform sequencing
(2020-01-31) Qiu, Yinjie; Yang, Ya; Hirsch, Cory D.; Watkins, Eric; qiuxx221@umn.edu; Qiu, Yinjie; University of Minnesota Turfgrass Research Lab
Hard fescue (Festuca brevipila Tracey, 2n=6x=42) is a cool-season turfgrass with a fine leaf texture that performs well under low-input management. Breeding and genetics studies of F. brevipila have been limited due to the complexity of its hexaploid genome. To advance our knowledge of F. brevipila genomics, we used PacBio isoform sequencing to develop a reference transcriptome of this taxon. Here, we report a reference transcriptome generated from root, crown, leaf, and seed head tissues. We obtained 59,510 full-length transcripts of which 38,595 were non-redundant full-length transcripts, with a N50 of 2,585 bp. The longest and shortest transcripts were 11,487 and 58 bp, respectively. By using the long-read transcriptome assembly to improve the reference de novo short reads assembly we investigated the phylogenetic relationship between selected taxa that were closely related to F. brevipila. Overall, the F. brevipila Pacbio reference transcriptome improved the completeness of the short reads assembly and provided the foundation for genomics studies of this important turfgrass species.
Impact of Drought Stress on Cool-Season Turfgrass: Comparative Analysis of Mixture and Monoculture Responses
(2023-11) Turbeville, Jillian; Sessoms, Florence; Watkins, Eric
The objective of this study was to determine the performance of mixtures and monocultures capable of withstanding long drought periods under low input management.
Impact of Drought Stress on Cool-Season Turfgrass: Comparative Analysis of Mixture and Monoculture Responses
(2022-11) Turbeville, Jillian; Sessoms, Florence; Watkins, Eric
We determined the performance of turfgrass mixtures/monocultures capable of withstanding long drought periods with a low fertility management practice.
Increasing environmental knowledge and effecting change in lawn maintenance behavior among homeowners
(2015-12) Leslie, Madeline
The management of private property in urban areas can greatly influence the amount of fertilizer, soil, and water runoff into surrounding watersheds, increasing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and creating eutrophic conditions in water bodies. Lawns are a prominent component of managed landscapes, and as such can play a role in water pollution levels over time. Encouraging beneficial maintenance behaviors has the potential to reduce nutrient runoff from turfgrass areas and increase the ecosystem services they provide. However, there are complex reasons why private property owners make lawn and yard care decisions. In addition, members of the public often do not understand the path water travels when it leaves their property. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to assess whether or not an individual’s possession of inaccurate water pathway knowledge is related to their lawn and yard maintenance behavior, as well as to determine the effectiveness of video and written educational interventions in changing the behavior and intent to behave of individuals. Surveys of Twin Cities Metro Area, MN residents were conducted 2014 and 2015. Based on their answers, respondents were divided into two groups; those who had obvious misconceptions about runoff water pathways and those who did not. Approximately 32% of survey participants had misconceptions about runoff water pathways. In addition, there were significant differences regarding about the effects of maintenance activities, as well as the frequency of lawn watering, mowing, and fertilizer use. A follow-up survey of the June, 2014 respondents did not indicate a change in maintenance behavior after viewing the educational video, but a comparison between two intervention methods on influencing and individual’s intent to behave found that a written intervention was more effective than video. This information will help inform and direct public outreach and education efforts to help improve local water quality in urban areas.
Leveraging High Throughput Sequencing For Fine Fescue (Festuca Spp.) Breeding And Genetics
(2020-03) Qiu, Yinjie
Fine fescues (Festuca L., Poaceae) are turfgrass species that perform well in low-input environments. Improvement of these grass species through breeding and genetics have been limited due to the difficulty of species identification and lack of genomic resources. The objectives of this dissertation were to develop an improved method for fine fescue species identification, generate the first reference transcriptome for hard fescue, and use the reference transcriptome for transcriptome studies. In my first project, I used flow cytometry, chloroplast genome sequencing, and molecular marker development to provide new fine fescue identification methodology. Next, I used flow cytometry to characterize ploidy level in the USDA F. ovina collection. My third project used PacBio Isoform sequencing to develop the reference transcriptome using four tissue types for hard fescue; by using a phylotranscriptomic approach, the reference transcriptome provided information of the allopolyploid origin of the hexaploid species. Finally, the reference transcriptome was used to study how hard fescue responded to propiconazole fungicide application; in addition, untargeted metabolomics was used to study changes in metabolites caused by fungicide application. This dissertation developed methods for fine fescue by a combination use of flow cytometry and molecular markers. Methods and genomics resources developed in this dissertation will benefit fine fescue breeding and genetics programs.
Minnesota Regional Roadside Seed Bank Analysis
(2019-11) Christensen, Dominic; Friell, Joshua; Jungers, Jacob; Trappe, Jon; Watkins, Eric
Persistence of vegetation planted along roadsides in cold climates is often limited because of salt, prolonged ice encasement, poor management, poor soil quality, and weed competition among other stresses in the northern United States. Seed banks at different sites could be a major driver influencing the type of coverage with turfgrasses commonly growing immediately adjacent to roadsides. This study was conducted in conjunction with a multi-site roadside trial assessing the performance of seeded turfgrass species and mixtures.
A novel inoculation technique for integrating the endophyte Epichloe festucae into perennial ryegrass
(2018-11) Heineck, Garett; Ashbrenner, Brooke; Miller, Michael; Watkins, Eric
The fungal endophyte Epichloe festucae var. Lolii is commonly associated with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Some endophytes have been shown to reduce disease severity and often produce toxic alkaloids that can be harmful to mammals and invertebrates. There is interest in incorporating novel endophytes into elite genotypic selections to improve cultivar disease resistance, reduce animal herbivory or replace an existing strain negatively impacting forage quality. The objective of this study was to test a novel inoculation technique that built upon previous methods, included different dark incubation periods and multiple endophyte strains.
Optimizing Methods for Turfgrass Metabolomics
(2023-11) Freund Saxhaug, Katrina; Hegeman, Adrian; Watkins, Eric
Subtle differences in growing environment, harvesting methods, sample processing, and data analysis can lead to unintended variations in metabolomic data, so careful planning of metabolomic experiments is crucial.
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.
Performance of Turfgrass Cultivars in Multiple Northern U.S. Roadside Environments
(2018-11) Watkins, Eric; Trappe, Jon; Renz, Mark; Murphy, James; Park, Bradley; Frank, Kevin; Hathaway, Aaron; Soldat, Douglas; Bero, Nicholas; Kreuser, William
Survival of turf along roadsides is a challenge in many states in the central and northern U.S. due to stresses that include high levels of salt from deicing operations, drought stress from a lack of irrigation, and temperature extremes. State departments of transportation recommend mixtures for various roadside environments; however, many of these mixture recommendations are either outdated or are developed without supporting research data collected by an unbiased source. The objective of this study was to assess potential roadside turfgrasses across multiple states in the northern U.S. to generate unbiased data for use by public agencies.

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