By Maicy Vossen

This article was originally published on the WinterTurf project blog.

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a turfgrass species that is quick to germinate and establish but is one of the least winter hardy cool-season species. As part of the WinterTurf project, we are trying to understand the physiologic characteristics that contribute to freeze tolerance.

Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Ross Braun, Eric Watkins, Andrew Hollman, Aaron Patton has been published in the journal Crop Science. This research demonstrates that fine fescues are truly low-input as they require less fertilizer and pesticides, while maintaining turf quality, compared to traditional turfgrass species.

Braun, R. C., Watkins, E., Hollman, A. B., and Patton, A. J. 2023. Assessing the fertilizer and pesticide input needs of cool-season turfgrass species. Crop Science, 63:3079–3095. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21046 [Open Access]

Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Florence Breuillin-Sessoms, Dominic Petrella, Nancy Ehlke, Donn Vellekson and Eric Watkins has been published in the journal Crop Science. This article discusses the research in which several cultivars of Chewings, hard and strong creeping red fescue were interseeded with spring wheat to examine the potential of this method for seed production in northern Minnesota. Unfortunately, this cropping system did not seem optimal for fine fescue seed production so more research is needed. 

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. Extension Educator Jon Trappe was interviewed for two news stories. Don't miss:

• When's the best time for lawn care? Right now in the StarTribune
• Would a natural grass field be possible at US Bank Stadium? from Fox 9 News

Registration is open for our UMN Turfgrass Golf Field Day! The field day will be held on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Topics covered will include our research that relates to golf course superintendents and other professional turfgrass managers.