Turfgrass Research

Research and Teaching Philosophy

To learn about the grasses by studying their biology and ecology. The turfgrass environment, while being somewhat two dimensional, is a very diverse and dynamic system. It is unique because of the intense demands of our use and that of the urban climate.

Turfgrasses are a major part of many landscapes in the Intermountain West. They are widely used to meet the demanding needs of athletic fields, parks, and golf courses. Our focus in the Utah State University turfgrass research program is to identify ways to reduce valuable inputs of water and nutrients to turfgrass through improved management techniques and through selection and development of more water efficient grasses. We focus on increasing diversity in the landscape and enhancing biological and ecological understanding of these amazing plants.

Turfgrass Research Menu

• Water-use and Irrigation Management
  • Relationships between Water Use Efficiency, Carbon Isotope Discrimination, and Turf Performance in Genotypes of Kentucky Bluegrass during Drought
• Turfgrass species survival in summer dormancy.
• A Case Study of Implementing Water Conservation in an Institutional Setting
• Variety Evaluation
  • National Turfgrass Evaluation Program variety trials.
• Low-maintenance Turf Development
• Evaluation of Intermountain West native and adapted grass species and their management for turfgrass applications.
• Breeding CWG-R Crested Wheatgrass for Reduced-Maintenance Turf
• Nutrient Management
  • Clipping Management and Nitrogen Fertilization of Turfgrass: Growth, Nitrogen Utilization, and Quality
  • Relationship of Turfgrass Growth and Quality to Soil Nitrate Desorbed from Anion Exchange Membranes
• Vadose Zone Processes and Chemical Transport Nitrogen Fertilizer Form and Associated Nitrate Leaching from Cool-Season Lawn Turf
• Decomposition rates and nitrogen release of turf grass clippings
• Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Responses and Requirements in Calcareous Sand Greens
• Fertilizing calcareous sand greens
• Adjusting Nitrogen Rates When Clippings are Returned
• Turfgrass Genetics and Ecology
  • Variation in Poa annua variation to improve management and control programs
• Variation of Poa annua in Utah's diverse environments
• Ecology of Annual Bluegrass and Creeping Bentgrass on Putting Greens
• Genome relationships in polyploid Poa pratensis and other Poa species inferred from phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences