Turf Research Projects

The NC1208 Hatch Multistate project, joined in 2022 at UMass, is a long term study focused on evaluating two separate experiments for managing dollar spot on turfgrass. 
Experiment 1: Cultural Practices and Biological Agents (objective 3)
The first experiment investigates whether dollar spot can be managed preventatively without the use of fungicides, relying instead on cultural practices and biological agents. The treatments in this experiment include: Dew removal alone, Biological agent application alone, and A combination of dew removal and biological agent application
This experiment aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these non-chemical approaches in preventing or reducing dollar spot outbreaks.
Experiment 2: Smith-Kerns Dollar Spot Prediction Model and Fungicide Applications (objectives 1, 2, 3)
The second experiment utilizes the Smith-Kerns dollar spot prediction model to predict dollar spot risk and assess the effectiveness of fungicide applications based on specific risk thresholds. Fluazinam, a highly effective contact fungicide with a low risk of resistance, is applied when the calculated risk exceeds predetermined thresholds (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%). If these thresholds are exceeded again after two weeks, the fungicide will be reapplied.
These model-based treatments will be compared to a calendar-based approach, where fluazinam will be applied every 14 days regardless of risk levels. The goal of this experiment is to determine the optimal threshold for fungicide application that would provide the same level of disease suppression as the calendar-based approach, while reducing fungicide use.
Study Design and Data Collection
Both experiments were conducted over three years (2022, 2023, and 2024) at the UMass Joseph Troll Turf Research Center. All plots were reset using a fluazinam application at the start of the season, and treatments began two weeks later. The study ran from May through September, and included three turfgrass cultivars with varying resistance to dollar spot: Penncross (susceptible), Shark (moderately resistant), and Coho (resistant)
Disease severity was measured weekly, or whenever disease trends changed, starting one week after the first treatment. Data collected were used for statistical analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the different treatments in reducing dollar spot and to determine the optimal strategies for fungicide reduction. We will continue this approach. 

Few athletic field studies have been conducted to relate actual field conditions as well as maintenance practices to reported injuries.  The aim of this study was to determine the level of use that an athletic field will sustain before field conditions begin to affect the playability and safety of the field.

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Best Management Practices are commonly implemented on golf courses to minimize the movement of pesticides and nutrients. One such practice is the use of vegetative filter strips (VFS) to intercept runoff and help protect the quality of groundwater and adjacent surface water. Research at UMass is ongoing to identify the best-suited plant material and most appropriate planting techniques to ensure effective vegetative filter strips.

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One of the key missions of the UMass Extension Turf Program is to promote natural resource protection through responsible turf management. The following featured videos profile current UMass research for which the primary focus is the conservation and protection of one of our most precious natural resources: water.

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Lawn and recreational turf can require significant amounts of irrigation to maintain turf function and use. Practices that lower water requirements are especially important as water restrictions and demand for water increase. Scheduling irrigation according to actual turfgrass water use rates (ET) reduces waste by replacing only the amount of water lost from the rootzone to turfgrass use. Reference ET values obtained from weather stations must be adjusted using crop coefficients (Kc values) to achieve a more accurate estimate of actual turf ET. This research seeks to address the current lack of ET data and Kc values specific for climatic conditions and management of recreational turf typical of New England.

The Turf Pathology and Breeding Laboratory at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst has been awarded a three-year research grant (2013-2016) from the United States Golf Association Green Section. The proposed study will compare the soil microbial communities and soil compositions between an organically and a conventionally managed golf course on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts using Next Generation Sequencing techniques.

Development and spread of the insecticide resistant in annual bluegrass weevil populations and demands for sustainable and environmentally sound turfgrass insect pest management options highlighted a crucial need in the development and improvement of the microbial options for tufgrass insect management. The main goal of our study is to investigate potential of the enthomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum as a possible strategy for annual bluegrass weevil control. Particularly, we will focus on addressing the following issues: 1) compare efficacy of older conidia and newer Microsclerotia formulations against ABW adults and larvae; 2) determine potential of the M. brunneum for mananging pyrethroid resistant populations 3) determine potential synergistic effect of combining fungus and imidacloprid.

1. Winter injury is an important factor impacting the function and quality of turfgrasses in northern climates.  The occurrences of winter injury of grasses and other temperate species is expected to increase due to changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. For example, warmer winter temperatures may reduce the overall freezing tolerance of plants, while more frequent freeze-thaw cycles could trigger mid-winter and early spring losses in freezing tolerance. In recent years we have observed as much as 70-90% turf loss from winter injury in turfgrasses throughout the New England region, with damages due to fluctuations in snow and ice cover, premature cold deacclimation, and winter snow mold diseases. Turfgrass loss due to winter injury leads to costly re-establishment, enhanced weed pressure, and significant decline in playability and aesthetic quality of turfgrass surfaces.  Consequently, turfgrass managers often use significantly increased inputs including water, fertilizers, and pesticides applications to enhance spring establishment and recovery compared to years with little winter injury.

2. Although there is some basic knowledge on environmental and site-specific conditions associated with winter stress damage in turfgrasses, we do not have a good understanding of the most important physiological mechanisms associated with overwintering. Most freezing tolerance research is focused on factors involved in cold acclimation, but the development of freezing tolerance in the autumn is only one component associated with winter survival.  Less is known on additional traits required for the maintenance of freezing tolerance given the changes in winter climate. Our early research suggests that winter warming events alter the metabolism and physiology of turfgrasses, resulting in losses of freezing tolerance and increased susceptibility to ice damage and direct low temperature kill. Moreover, little is known about how changes in turfgrass overwintering physiology will interact to impact winter snow mold disease susceptibility. Current snow mold management relies almost exclusively on fungicides. Therefore a better understanding on the basic biology, plant-disease interactions, and degree of fungicide resistance will be important to provide potential alternatives to fungicides as part of an integrated pest management program.

The overall project goals will be to (i) increase our understanding of freezing tolerance mechanisms and general overwintering strategies in cool-season turfgrasses, (ii) explore potential barriers to successful spring re-establishment, and (iii) gain a better understanding of snow mold disease management with reduced reliance on pesticides. The information gained from this research will then be used to inform turfgrass professionals on improved winter injury mitigation and recovery strategies. This research will also be part of a larger collaborative project with other turfgrass scientists in the United States and Scandinavia working on additional aspects of winter injury, including remote sensing, prediction modeling, and breeding improved climate-resilient turfgrass cultivars and species.

3. Winter injury of turfgrasses impacts the functional quality of urban landscapes, including parks, home lawns, sports fields, golf courses, and roadside vegetation. In this capacity, the ability to mitigate winter injury will increase ecological sustainability of urban landscapes (e.g. reducing soil erosion in bare areas where turfgrass dies, reducing water and nutrient use to aid in spring recovery) while maximizing positive ecosystem services provided by healthy lawns and landscapes.  Therefore the target audience for this research will include industry practitioners (e.g. sports field, golf course, and land managers), and the general public.

4. Results from our research will provide fundamental information to facilitate breeding efforts for improved winter survival through the identification of mechanisms and/or traits associated with enhanced tolerance to winter stresses including ice encasement, freezing, and winter diseases.  The knowledge generated from our research will also provide data to help inform practices that either mitigate winter damage or improve the speed of spring recovery as a part of a sustainable turfgrass management program. Our plan is to share results with turfgrass professionals at annual turf field days and green industry conferences.  We have already established an annual Winter Injury Roundtable at the New England Regional Turf Foundation Conference, and will continue to use this model to connect and exchange up-to-date knowledge with turfgrass managers. Moreover, we will also use communication technologies including social media and the UMass turf program list-serve to regularly post research updates. Results will also be disseminated through research publications, as well as regional and national conferences. Lastly, the proposed research will also provide training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.