MGCSA

By Chase Straw and Jack MacKenzie

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work.  We have a seminar recording, a podcast and an upcoming golf industry seminar from the MGCSA!

Florence Sessoms presented a seminar titled Unraveling Regulation of Soil Nitrification (recording available here) for the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate's Fall Seminar Series

WCCO’s Smart Gardens October 27 podcast features Jon Trappe and Julie Weisenhorn who answer listeners' questions on gardening and lawns

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work.  We have a podcast and two articles!

WCCO’s Smart Gardens September 15 podcast, featuring Jon Trappe and Mary Meyer, answers listeners' questions on gardening and lawns

The September issue of the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association's Hole Notes features an article, "UMN Member Driven Research: Irrigation Sensors", by Chase Straw and Brian Horgan

Hole Notes, a publication by the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA), recently featured our team in several articles.  Graduate students James Wolfin and Hannah Ramer wrote an in-depth article on University of Minnesota research on bee lawns titled Redesign Your Rough (and driving range): Implementing Conservation Practices in Low-Use Areas to Support Pollinators. There is also a great photo spread on the Turf and Grounds Field Day held on August 9, 2018 with the Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation.

The University of Minnesota Turfgrass Science Team has partnered with the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA) to perform on-site research determined by the members themselves. As part of this project, we conducted a study at Centerbrook Golf Course. We examined the following research question: Can a surfactant with the right chemistry also function as a wetting agent to combat wilt from dry spots?

Water repellency of turf can lead to localized dry spots and can cause waste of irrigation water.  Not only that, it also can cause the turf to repel other products, such as pesticides, that after application need to reach the root zone of turfgrasses to be effective.  Wetting agents are surfactants used to increase water penetration.

The University of Minnesota Turfgrass Science Team has partnered with the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA) to perform on-site research determined by the members themselves. As part of this project, we conducted a study at TPC Twin Cities, Fox Hollow Golf Club, and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay. We examined the following research question: Is there is any benefit to late season application of plant growth regulators?

Paclobutrazol, prohexadione calcium, and trinexapac‐ethyl (TE) are plant growth regulators (PGRs) that inhibit the synthesis of the plant growth hormone gibberellin.  They can be used on golf greens to inhibit annual bluegrass (Poa annua) growth or to increase the plant health of desirable turfgrasses.

These products are not normally applied late in the season. We partnered with several MGCSA members to examine how various turfgrass species respond to fall applications and whether there is any benefit to late season application.

Research questions

The University of Minnesota Turfgrass Science Team has partnered with the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA) to perform on-site research determined by the members themselves. As part of this project, we conducted a study at the Stillwater Country Club in 2017. We examined the following research question: How well would turfgrass species other than creeping bentgrass work under wet and shaded condition on a Par 3 tee box?

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) is a stolon-forming cool season grass commonly used on golf courses.  It has good shade tolerance, but if shaded, it will also need good drainage to thrive.  One of our MGCSA-member partners recently experienced what can happen when creeping bentgrass grows in shady and poor drainage conditions.