SERA025: Turf (IEG-16)
Statement of Issues and Justification
Accomplishments: SERA-IEG 25 (Turf) has accomplished its objectives by meeting three of every four years at one of the institutions with turf programs in the southern region. There are no annual meetings every fourth year, when many faculty attend an international turf meeting. Participants have exchanged information regarding many research, extension and academic topics. The general approach has been to identify eight to ten important research or extension topics or techniques each year this meeting is held. One or two scientists critically review, summarize and lead a discussion on an individual topic. In addition, the facilities and programs of the host institution are reviewed through oral presentations and a tour.Statement of Issue(s) and Justification: The turfgrass industry in the South continues to grow in area and economic importance. Several states in the region share the same issues and concerns, including turfgrass irrigation and fertilization in residential settings, need for resource-efficient varieties, disease and pest management, and managing weeds, and pests in sod production. Different turfgrass types, environment, and management approaches, lead to different research and extension programs in the states, and this helps the SERA members share new ideas. By exchanging information, scientists in the region can use their time and resources more efficiently and avoid duplication of effort. Meeting annually stimulates cooperative efforts and enhances turf research, extension and education programs in the region.
Internal and External Linkages: Collaborations among members have been numerous and are expected to increase. Many faculty involved in turf research and extension who are not "official" members also participate in the annual meetings, information exchange and resulting collaborations. Representatives of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and the United States Golf Association Green Section also participate. SERA-IEG 25 elects a representative to serve on the Policy Committee of the NTEP with our current representative being Dr. Mike Richardson, U. of Arkansas. This representative serves a four-year term and provides for southern region participation in this very important national program.
Potential Tangible Outputs: Results from cooperative projects will be published both in the refereed literature and as extension information. SERA-IEG 25 is also in the process of establishing a website, which will include information on all activities including cooperative research and extension work among the members of the group. The website will provide full and current reports of the efforts of participating workers. The website will be located on the University of Georgia server and will be available to the public without restrictions.
Potential Alternate Funding Opportunities: As a result of SERA-IEG 25 meetings, workers are aware of the progress made by the National Turfgrass Research Initiative. The Initiative is an on-going effort by the National Turfgrass Federation (NTF) and the NTEP to increase USDA research funding and efforts in turfgrass science. There are now new and numerous opportunities for specific cooperative agreements with USDA scientists across the U.S., several within the southern region. Additional, similar opportunities will become available in the future. SERA-IEG 25 workers will be active in these agreements with the USDA. Further research funding will be sought via cooperative, multi-state projects through the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GSCAA).
Potential External Partnerships: Workers will seek cooperative efforts with institutions and organizations not normally associated with SERA-IEG 25. For example, cooperative efforts are currently underway between the University of Kentucky (SERA-IEG 25) and Purdue University (NCR-192) examining new turf weed control strategies. Similar past projects include management studies with warm-season turfgrasses grown in the transitional climatic zone. SERA-IEG 25 workers will continue to seek and participate in projects not exclusive to its members. In some state, for example Florida, there are partnerships with state agencies to develop and demonstrate turfgrass nutrient and irrigation BMPs. In all states, SERA members partner with the turfgrass industry to support the research, teaching, and extension programs financially and with equipment donations. In times of declining public funding, these partnerships are critical to the success of the SERA programs. SERA members also are working to strengthen endowments for long-term support of the turfgrass programs.
Potential Impacts for both Research and Extension: Work by SERA-IEG 25 members will define sound, scientific turfgrass management principles in the southern region. Impacts will include advances in drought mitigation, pest control strategies, and germplasm improvement. BMPs for irrigation and fertilization, developed by SERA members, are being adopted by the turfgrass industry in some states. Extension activities will make research results known to practitioners thus improving turfgrass management throughout the southern region. These impacts for the southern region will be increased and improved through member participation in official SERA-IEG 25 activities and meetings.
Performance Goals:
1. Annual meetings will be well attended with a good balance of research and extension personnel.
2. Meeting agendas will provide adequate time for exchange of information and discussion of future priorities and needs.
3. Collaborations, formal and informal, among SERA-IEG members in research and extension activities will increase over time.
4. Numbers of partnerships and linkages will increase over the project time span.
A Strategy for Funding Integrated Research and Extension Grants:
During the coming project renewal, participants will increase their pursuit of funding for cooperative project with a regional focus. At our June 11 - 13, 2009 annual meeting in Wilmington, the group held a half-day brainstorming session to identify topics of mutual interest that would foster and increase cooperative work and joint funding. As a result of the session, the following potential funding/research and extension initiatives were identified:
1. Coordinate regional efforts in research and extension activities focused on improved Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Water Conservation throughout the region.
Cooperators will include: AR, AZ, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, TX, and VA. Many cooperators are already involved in state-specific efforts in this arena. Funding requests will be submitted to water regulating agencies within individual states as well as to national funding groups where appropriate. For example, a proposal submitted to the United States Golf Association (USGA) for support of regional research could be sought for multi-state proposals.
2. Develop a subgroup within this SERA group to identify plant material for resource conservation and environmental enhancement. Cultivars from US turfgrass seed producers would be evaluated on a regional basis on a fee basis to fund individual state research efforts. Data from these evaluations would be combined in multi-state extension and research publications for dissemination throughout the region.
Cooperators will include: AR, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, OK, and TX. Regional funding proposals for evaluation of specific cultivar trait evaluation (drought and shade tolerance, herbicide resistance, etc.) will be coordinated and submitted for funding to the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) in Beltsville, MD.
3. Reduction of herbicide inputs while maximizing weed control efficacy through implementation of cultural / sustainable management practices.
Cooperators will include AR, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, and VA. The weed scientists within the group are extremely active. They are working on projects of immediate regional/national importance such as; finding replacements for methyl bromide, identifying weed resistance to herbicides, and using cultural practices to minimize herbicide applications. Researchers will coordinate their activities to facilitate research proposals to industry sponsors as well as national groups such as the Golf Course Superintendents Assoc. of America (GCSAA).
4. Evaluate the environmental fate (runoff, leaching, and volatilization) of nitrogen and pesticide inputs into the turfgrass ecosystem with a goal of reduced off site movement. Cooperators will include: FL, MS, NC, and SC. Expertise and facilities related to environmental fate research currently exist throughout the region. Cooperative approaches to pesticide fate research will be coordinated among institutions. For example, a more exhaustive evaluation of pesticide fate might be accomplished by having one institution evaluate leaching, another runoff, and another dislodgeable foliar residues for a given pesticide of interest. Such coordinated research would be of interest to the USGA and GCSAA who have funded this type of regionally coordinated approach in the past.
5. Funding will be sought from federal and national sources, including the National Turfgrass Research Initiative and the Specialty Crops Research Initiative.
Existing Cooperative multi-state grants (representative sample, not exhaustive)
A new project was initiated with TN, CT, MI, and AR to evaluate the effects of mowing height by rolling frequency interactions on ball roll distance.
A project was also initiated among TN, NJ, and AR to create and evaluate the accuracy of a DIA program that can provide a turf quality ratings (1-9 scale) using digital image analysis.
Traffic tolerance of bermudagrass was evaluated in 2007 at AR and GA. An ancillary study is also currently being funded by NTEP in AR and FL.
Tolerance of zoysiagrass seedlings to various combinations of Fusillade, Acclaim, and Turflon is being tested in IN, TN, and AR.
Martin, D.L., G.E. Bell, Y. Wu, and C. Taliaferro. pending. Evaluation of Bermudagrasses for Putting Green Surfaces in the US Transition Zone. United States Golf Association. Will involve 4-5 Universities in SERA-IEG 25.
Carroll, M.1, J. Massey2, G. Bell3, and P. Rice4. 2004-2008. Turfgrass Umbrella Pesticide Runoff Project. United States Golf Association. 1University of Maryland, 2Mississippi State University, 3Oklahoma State University, 4USDA-NRCS, University of Minnesota.
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