Turfgrass Science Conference Posters

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Bee Lawns in Minnesota: Research Impacting Policy
(2024-11) Moncada, Kristine; Watkins, Eric
Scientific research results can occasionally capture the public imagination, resulting in people who want to adopt new practices based on that research; eventually this can even lead to policy changes in their locales. Intentionally planting flowering species into lawns, which in Minnesota are called bee lawns, has been a growing research topic in recent years. At the University of Minnesota, research on bee lawns started over 10 years ago and was a unique multidisciplinary effort that included turfgrass scientists, entomologists, and social scientists. As a result of this work, commercial bee lawn seed mixtures have been developed based on the plant species studied and are now a widely available and popular lawn option for consumers. The bee lawn work also led to the inclusion of bee lawns in the Lawns to Legumes program, a state of Minnesota initiative that provides rebates for those who convert part of their properties to pollinator habitat. This program would have most likely not have supported a lawn component at all if it were not for the bee lawn research. In fact, the current program promotes plants native to Minnesota almost exclusively, which would automatically exclude the most commonly used cool-season turfgrasses. Currently, the fine fescue turfgrasses (Festuca spp.) and the bee lawn mixture forb species including self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), creeping thyme (Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus) and white clover (Trifolium repens), are among the few non-native exceptions in the program. We summarize the history of bee lawn research and the impacts it has since had on public policy in Minnesota. We also address what the future may hold as far as research and policy are concerned.
Evaluation of Foliar Shade Resilience for Shade-Selected Festuca brevipila 'MNHD'
(2024-11) Turbeville, Jillian; Watkins, Eric; Petrella, Dominic; Sessoms, Florence
A cultivar of interest named ‘MNHD' is an advanced population of hard fescue and an outcrossing species bred for low input turf lawns. Efforts to shade-select this cultivar resulted in ‘MNSD’ with the “SD” standing for shade. This field study results will seek to advance the shade-selected MNSD establishment performance under field conditions, focusing on growth, health, and vigor overtime. The results from this study will work to provide hard fescue cultivars that meet quality and performance standards to further develop the shade tolerant cool-season turfgrass market.
Reducing Environmental Risk in Genetically Modified Perennial Ryegrass
(2022-11) Cors, Jonathan; Watkins, Eric; Smanski, Michael; Casas Mollano, Juan; Zinselmeier, Matthew
Engineered genetic incompatibility can allow for release of genetically modified turfgrass.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Precision Irrigation for Golf Courses Using Sensor and Mapping Technologies
(2019-11) Straw, Chase; Friell, Joshua; Horgan, Brian
The golf course industry is under increasing public pressure to improve environmental impacts by reducing management inputs, particularly irrigation. Precision irrigation is a viable strategy; however, in practice, adoption of soil moisture sensors (SMS) and mapping technologies necessary for implementation has been slow. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that adoption of currently available SMS and mapping technologies can provide golf course superintendents with appropriate, actionable information that can result in significant water and cost savings relative to evapotranspiration (ET)-based and traditional irrigation scheduling methods.
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.
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.
Using R based image analysis to quantify rust on perennial ryegrass
(2018-11) Heineck, Garett; Watkins, Eric; Jungers, Jacob; McNish, Ian
Crown and stem rust caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. lolii and Puccinia graminis subsp. graminicola are major diseases of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) when grown for turfgrass, forage, and seed. Plant breeders and pathologists often quantify rust severity in the field using the modified Cobb scale, but this method is subjective, labor intensive, and dependent on the skill and experience of the scorer. Our objective was to develop a novel, open-source system that couples both ImageJ and R to quantify rust severity on simple RGB images.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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