SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Sections

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Participants

The 2025 annual meeting was held in Columbus, OH and attended by 23 people from 10 institutions. The attendees included several students and staff members. The 16 faculty/directors/decision-makers from the institutions in attendance are listed below. Carr, Tyler, Ohio State University; Carroll, Mark, University of Maryland; Folck, Amanda, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Frank, Kevin, Michigan State University; Gardner, David, Ohio State University; Karcher, Doug, Ohio State University; Koch, Paul, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Law, Quincy, Iowa State University; Li, Deying, North Dakota State University; Miller, Lee, Purdue University; Nangle, Ed, Ohio State University; Patton, Aaron, Purdue University; Rinehart, Geoffrey, University of Maryland; Settle, Derek, Chicago District Golf Association; Wu, Shaohui, Ohio State University; Xiong, Xi, University of Missouri.

Brief summary of minutes of annual meeting:

  • NCERA-221 Tuesday Meeting called to order by Dave Gardner at 9:00 AM
  • Kevin Frank (Michigan State Univ.) provided an update on the WinterTurf Proejct.
  • Lee Miller (Purdue Univ.) provided an update on the NC 1208 Project. The project was renewed for 5 years on 10./1/2024.  There are 11 participating institutions.
  • Aaron Patton (Purdue Univ.) provided an update on the Zoysiagrass and bermudagreass winter survey
  • Deying Lee (North Dakot State Univ.) provided an update on the Tall fescue/fine fescue management project. Research commenced at NDSU, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, mixtures of tall fescue and fine leaf fescue along with different nitrogen rates are being investigated. Planted in the fall of 2024. Results pending.
  • Mark Carroll (Univ. of Maryland) gave an update on the Pollinator project. The original idea was pollinator lawns vs. conventional lawns. Domestic pollinators tend to populate bee lawns, attracted by white clover. Research concept has evolved to investigate bee lawns vs. conventional fine leaf fescue lawns, and also include golf courses to gauge public perception of private golf course members vs public golfers on pollinator habitats vs fine leaf fescue monostands. Participants include Univ. of Maryland, Univ. of Minnesota, and Chicago District Golf Association.
  • Xi Xiong (Univ. of Missouri) presented a Research funding opportunity from STERF, grants require collaborator from Nordic countries. This is a potential opportunity for the NCERA group to work on a multi-state grant for submission. Discussions ensued.

 

  • NCERA-221 Wednesday Business Meeting called to order by Dave Gardner at 9:00 AM
  • Aaron Patton (Purdue Univ.) provided an update regarding the changes to and process for updating the Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals publication.
  • Dave Gardner (Ohio State Univ.) gave an update on the organic crabgrass control trial. Data is being analyzed and plan is to submit in 2025 to Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass Management. Also, the publication reporting the organic broadleaf control trial was rejected in 2023, but is being revised and will be resubmitted to Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass Management in 2025.
  • Quincy Law (Iowa State Univ.) gave an update on the Clover Lawns LIST study. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa State (lead) are involved – Quincy will send out seed for 2025 fall establishment
  • Doug Soldat (Univ. of Wisconsin) via Dave Gardner gave an update on the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) as the NCERA-221 representative on the NTEP board.
  • Doug Karcher (Ohio State Univ.) gave an administrative update
  • State/Station Reports were delivered
    • Chicago District Golf Association - Derek Settle
    • University of Illinois – No report
    • Purdue University – Aaron Patton
    • Iowa State University - Quincy Law
    • Kansas State University – No report
    • University of Maryland - Mark Carroll
    • Michigan State University - Kevin Frank
    • University of Missouri – Xi Xiong
    • University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Amanda Folck
    • North Dakota State University – Deying Li
    • University of Wisconsin -No report
    • University of Minnesota – No report
    • The Ohio State University – David Gardner and Tyler Carr

 

  • New business
    • New collaborative research initiatives
      • 1) Collaborative clover lawn project focusing on input minimization and agronomic benefits/effects of clover inclusion discussed. Quincy Law (Iowa State Univ.) will lead the project. Wisconsin and Ohio State are also participating.  Seed will be sent for autumn 2025 establishment
    • New collaborative research project discussion. We split into groups to discuss potential future initiatives including:  lawn irrigation BMPs, granular fertilizer and pesticides for lawns, dollar spot and brown patch management on home lawns, species and cultivar selection, topdressing sand angularity for golf courses, biochar and reducing fertilizer on greens, core aeration effects on diseases on greens, how clippings on lawns effect diseases, artificial intelligence and turf recommendations, old or off label modes of action for turfgrass weeds that are resistant, endangered species act (Bulletins Live) and pesticide applications, water management, nutrient management, improved cultivar adoption, pest management with fewer or no pesticides, business education for small landscape operators, benefits of turfgrass, no mow May education, water conservation and quality, carbon neutral and carbon sequestration, and autonomous mowers.
    • Updates on Collaborative extension initiatives

1)   Dollar spot communication NC-1208 project generated a lot of data and NCERA-221 could help summarize and disseminate the information. Paul Koch (Univ. of Wisconsin) is leading and Iowa State and Ohio State Universities will support.

2)   NCERA-221 Lawn Problem Solver needs modernization. Doug Soldat (Univ. of Wisconsin) is working on a proposal to develop a problem solver app that uses machine learning to identify common lawn problems. He requested support from the group in developing a database of pictures that could be used to train the model should the grant be funded. All were supportive.

3)   Organic turfgrass extension materials NCERA-221 has focused on organic and low input turf management for decades. The group decided that developing a suite of extension materials aimed at various audiences (homeowners, professionals, etc.) would be beneficial. Doug Soldat (Univ. of Wisconsin) is leading, with Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa State, and Minnesota participating in the efforts.

4)   Lawn establishment/grass variety selection tool. Tyler Carr (Ohio State Univ.) is leading this effort to provide regionalized cultivar recommendations. Purdue and Kansas State Universities will participate.

  • Historian Report – (Quincy Law – Iowa State Univ.)
    • Future sites discussed: Michigan State Univ. next year (timing early June, 2026) then Purdue in 2027
  • Business meeting adjourned at 12:00 PM

Accomplishments

NCERA 221 Accomplishments:

 

Short-term Outcomes: The work of NCERA-221 continues to result in more sustainable ways to manage turfgrass, including the assessment and development of improved cultivars that require less water, fertilizer, pesticides, and/or mowing. Use of these grasses have resulted in lower resource use and pesticide exposure.

 

Outputs: One major output was the successful update of the Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals publication. This publication (led by Aaron Patton at Purdue University) involves all NCERA-221 institutions and is the most comprehensive, research-based guide on turfgrass weed control available. All institutions conduct trials that inform the publication on an annual basis.

Activities: NCERA-221 engaged in several activities that support the groups two main objectives of 1) providing national leadership in the area of sustainable turfgrass systems for transition zone and temperate climates, including collaborative research in turf management, plant physiology, plant pathology, entomology, cultivar selection, breeding and genetics, weed science, and ecosystem services; and 2) Developing and delivering innovative outreach and educational programming to various stakeholder groups including turfgrass management professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, public agencies, scientists, and the general public. Below are summaries of these efforts for the reporting period

  1. Research on Sustainable Turf Management
  • Bee lawn study: The CDGA is now investigating bee lawns as a landscape area in a golf course setting. This project is in collaboration with Univ of Minnesota and Univ of Maryland. The project idea was originally to focus solely on lawns. The CDGA introduced the idea that a bee lawn may also be of interest when used as a landscape area in a golf course outer rough. A bee lawn could also be used like a landscape area in a highly visible location such as near a golf tee.
  • A collaborative project evaluated the impact of soil temperature and fungicide types on summer patch disease management. Initial studies conducted in 2024 are being repeated in 2025 to refine fungicide spray timing recommendations for different geographical locations
  • NC 1208 – Biology, Etiology, and Mgt. of Dollar Spot: Project renewed for 5 years on 10/1/2024. There are 11 participating institutions including several that are part of NCERA-221. The group met in March 2025 in Pinehurst at Sandhills Community College. There are six different dollar spot related research projects including:  Fall dollar spot sampling and sequencing, Determining degree of dollar spot suppression from cultural practices, Creeping bentgrass inter-seeding project, and Creeping bentgrass cultivar survey to encourage increased adoption of disease-resistant cultivars.
  • Tall fescue, fine leaf fescue management: Research commenced at NDSU, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, mixtures of tall fescue and fine leaf fescue along with different nitrogen rates are being investigated. Planted in the fall of 2024. Results are pending.
  • Several institutions have focused on pest control with organic or reduced-risk pesticides. Key findings included significant suppression of crabgrass by some organic products without phytotoxicity and effective billbug population monitoring through a mark-release-recapture method. Manuscripts are in preparation for submission for publication.
  • Nebraska began collaboration with USDA and Purdue University scientists to develop genetic markers suitable for rapid dollar spot identification and quantification.
    • Bermudagrass performance was assessed for athletic fields under organic and conventional management. This research provided evidence that organic management can be a viable alternative in the transition zone, though occasional use of conventional herbicides may be necessary to control growing weed seed banks.
  1. Grass Variety Trials Participation
    • All NCERA-221 participants are involved in the evaluation of cultivars of the major turfgrass species grown in the North Central region, including creeping bentgrass, fine fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, zoysiagrass, and bermudagrass. The group has decided to work collaboratively in 2025 and beyond to develop extension materials to recommend the most appropriate species and cultivars for various situations and scenarios.
  2. Winter Stress Research
  • The University of Minnesota continues to lead an $8 million multi-state project to study winter stresses on cool-season turfgrasses, involving researchers from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. This project aims to understand and mitigate winterkill effects on turfgrass. The multi-state collaboration USDA sponsored WinterTurf grant will end in 2026.  The group is planning to submit for a second grant in 2026. At MSU efforts focus on physiological research to understand the mechanisms of winterkill from anoxia and management research to investigate reestablishment practices, and mitigation practices.
  • Zoysiagrass and bermudagrass winter survey – Aaron Patton, Purdue University, Tyler Carr, Ohio State, and Wendell Hutchens, University of Arkansas are collaborators.
  1. Sustainable Turfgrass Extension and Outreach Events
    • NCERA-221 members organized and executed several conferences, workshops, and field days over the reporting period. These events showcased the latest research results for consumer and professional audiences.
  • NCERA-221 members provide program updates, and extension articles on their websites and through their industry partners in each state.

NCERA-221 Milestones:

  1. Development of a better understanding of what causes winterkill of zoysiagrass and bermudagrass
  • Bermudagrass winterkill management guide published in Crop Forage and Turfgrass Management, another publication focusing on zoysiagrass is to be published soon. Conducted 2025 survey of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass winterkill. Mostly bermudagrass suffered winterkill. Largest percentage of bermudagrass that suffered winterkill was over 3 years old. Developed an ARC GIS map of areas that suffered winterkill. What didn’t cause winterkill, snowfall and average low temperatures didn’t appear to cause winterkill. What did cause winterkill: dry fall, wet winter, and cold spring.
  1. Development of a Standard Method for Measuring Surface Organic Matter
  • This new method is expected to result in the more sustainable management of putting greens by introducing a more quantitative way to make decisions regarding cultivation and topdressing, both of which rely on natural and monetary resources.
  1. Nematode Survey Results
    • The surveys conducted across Maryland golf courses and athletic fields revealed the prevalence and diversity of 13 plant parasitic nematodes, contributing to better nematode management strategies.
  2. Billbug Monitoring Technique Development
    • The development and testing of billbug monitoring techniques using a mark-release-recapture method allowed for effective population estimation and control.
  3. Development of a Turfgrass Cultivar Database
    • Led by the University of Minnesota, the creation of a new turfgrass cultivar database provided stakeholders with easy access to information on well-adapted turfgrass cultivars.

Impacts

  1. • Cold Hardiness and Salinity Tolerance: Research addressing cold hardiness, especially in annual bluegrass, and salinity tolerance has led to practices that help reduce maintenance costs and conserve resources.
  2. • Bee lawn study: Each collaborator has three sites (public lawn, public golf course, private golf course) and a survey will ask respondents at each site a series of questions to better understand how the public views bee lawn areas. We hypothesize that site selection can influence the public’s overall appreciation and understanding of bee lawns. The results can provide insight as to where bee lawns are warranted and welcome. This information could aid establishment of naturalized lawn areas in the United States – specifically the upper Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions.
  3. • Integrated Weed Management: Turfgrass is used on athletic fields, golf courses, grounds (business and industrial complexes, airports, schools, parks, cemeteries and hospitals), lawns, sod farms, and roadsides. Across the US, turfgrass covers ~40 million acres. As urban areas push outwards into rural areas and suburbs are developed, lawns, parks, athletic fields, and other green spaces are added. Information on integrated weed management for turfgrass professionals managing these turfgrass areas was lacking and applicators were uncertain on the best approach (cultural, chemical, biological) for controlling common weeds in turf. Beginning in 2012, a 128-page Purdue University publication was developed to address these questions. The goal of the publication was to provide science-based information to turf professionals on weed identification, ecology, management, and herbicide use. Over 19,000 hard or electronic copies have been distributed since its development. The publication has been used in workshops to train 200-350 annually since 2012. A survey of 130 people who purchased the publication, found this reference helped 76% of them improve their weed control (8% no improvement, 16% undecided). The publication had little impact on total herbicide use (63% no change, 16% increase, 21% decrease), but the survey revealed the publication helped each save $500 to $833 (weighted avg.=$833, median =$500) annually. The publication was expanded in 2017 as a new, 16-state regional publication with accompanying color photos of 118 weed species and content from coauthors. Drs. Patton and Elmore are the editors. • Integrated Insect Management: Purdue’s Turfgrass Entomology IPM program empowers turf
  4. • Integrated Insect Management: Purdue’s Turfgrass Entomology IPM program empowers turf professionals with science-based tools to manage insect pests sustainably and safely. In 2024, the program supported hundreds of continuing certification hours and reached over 51,700 users through digital resources, with more than 17,500 downloads and 744 new installations of the TurfDoctor mobile app. These efforts advance workforce development and expand access to timely, effective, and environmentally responsible pest management solutions across Indiana’s turf industry.
  5. • Low Intensity sustainable turfgrass: In response to pesticide bans and fertilizer restrictions, the NCERA-221 institutions devote much effort to documenting reduced input turfgrass performance. This aids turfgrass stakeholders in identifying management approaches that will produce turfgrass of acceptable quality while also being in compliance with current mandates
  6. • Weed Control with Reduced-Risk Pesticides: Collaborative efforts in weed control using reduced-risk pesticides have provided stakeholders with effective alternatives to conventional methods, ensuring better compliance with environmental regulations.
  7. • Buffalograss Development and Genomic Sequencing: Cooperative projects have focused on developing buffalograss for reduced input areas and conducting genomic sequencing for various turfgrass species. These efforts are aimed at creating cultivars that require fewer resources and are better adapted to regional conditions. In Nebraska Five buffalograss breeding populations were developed that yield more than the current buffalograss seeded cultivars in test production plots. Following three years of evaluations of elite buffalograss lines suitable for vegetative cultivar development, six lines performed better than the leading industry cultivars ‘Prestige’ and ‘Legacy’.
  8. • Insect Control Innovations: Research on billbug control has led to the development of a novel mechanical approach using a sweeper designed for artificial turf surfaces. This method effectively reduces billbug populations without damaging the turf, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic pesticides.

Publications

Amundsen, K., Thompson, C., Kreuser, W., & Gaussoin, R. (2024). Management costs influence golfer perceptions of turfgrass quality and playability. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal. DOI: 10.1002/its2.160

Carr, T.Q., W.H., Hutchens, A.J. Patton, R.C. Braun, D. McFadden, and M.D. Richardson. 2025. Management strategies for preventing and recovering from zoysiagrass winterkill. Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass Mgmt. (In press).  https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.70050

Cashbaugh, M.K., Koch, P.L., and Miller, G.L. 2025. Evaluating the capabilities of artificial intelligence for interpretation and retrieval of research data stored in a repository. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal https://doi.org/10.1002/its2.70046

Hutchens, W. J., Carr, T. Q., Patton, A. J., Bigelow, C. A., DeBoer, E. J., Goatley, J. M., ... & Xiang, M. (2024). Management strategies for preventing and recovering from bermudagrass winterkill. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management, 10(2), e20302. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20302

Malehorn, T., Kostka, S., Gadd, N., Bigelow, C., & Fidanza, M. (2025). Evaluation of soil surfactant applications to turfgrass utilizing a transect method for monitoring soil moisture. https://doi.org/10.1002/its2.70052

Macleod, G.R., D.S. Richmond and T.R. Filley. 2024. Invasive Japanese beetle larvae (Popillia japonica Newman) alter structure and carbon distribution in infested surface soil. Science of the Total Environment 918: 170687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170687

McCurdy, A.L., Barizon, J., Miller, G.L. 2024. Depth distribution of plant-parasitic nematodes on bentgrass golf green in Missouri and Indiana. Journal of Nematology. 56:1:20240006. http//doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2024-0006

Miller, K.M., K. Frank, and E. Merewitz. 2025. Mowing height changes and annual bluegrass putting green recovery from winter in field conditions or simulated ice encasement. Agronomy J. May/June. 117(3): p. 1-11.

McNally, B. C., Chhetri, M., Patton, A. J., Liu, W., Hoyle, J. A., Brosnan, J. T., ... & Fry, J. D. (2025). Optimizing ethephon application timing for ‘Meyer’ zoysiagrass seedhead suppression. Crop Science, 65(1), e21350. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21350

Patton, A.J., M. Elmore, J. Kao-Kniffin, B. Branham, Q. Law, A. Thoms, J. Fry, S. Keeley, K. Clayton, T. Nikolai, J. Trappe, X. Xiong, A. Folck, D. Li, D. Gardner, P. Landschoot, J. Kaminski, D. Soldat, and P. Koch. 2024. Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals, 2024 edition. Purdue University Extension Publication. TURF-100. pp. 128.

Peddigari, S., Roberts, J. A.,& Carroll, M. J. (2025). Comparison of TruFirm Turf Firmness Meter and Clegg impact soil tester measurements on athletic fields. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal, 1–7.

Powlen, J. S., Kerns, J. P., Fidanza, M. A., & Bigelow, C. A. (2024). Brown patch severity of five tall fescue cultivars as influenced by summer nitrogen rates. Crop Protection, 184, 106790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2024.106790

Powlen, J. S., Kerns, J. P., Fidanza, M. A., & Bigelow, C. A. (2024). Brown patch severity as affected by cool‐season turfgrass species, cultivar, and nitrogen rate. Crop Science, 64(4), 2393-2403. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21256

Powlen, J. S., McCall, D. S., Hensler, K. L., Kerns, J. P., Fidanza, M. A., & Bigelow, C. A. (2024). Blend ratios and mixtures of brown patch susceptible and resistant tall fescue cultivars. Agronomy Journal, 116(6), 2690-2700. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21712

Qian He, and D. Li. 2024. Growth and cation uptake in turf-type tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) are affected by low light intensity. Eur. J. Hortic. Sci. 89:1611-4434.

Raudenbush, Z., Sousek, M., Thompson, C. S., & Gaussoin, R. E. 2024. Safety of carfentrazone-ethyl following application of bensulide to creeping bentgrass putting greens. Crop, Forage, and Turfgrass Management, 10, e20285. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20285

Shahoveisi, F., Shah, K. K., Koch, P., Kaminski, J. E., Roberson, T., McCall, D., & Nangle, E. (2025). Efficacy of integrated cultural practices for dollar spot disease management on creeping bentgrass and bermudagrass. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal, 1–10.

Stanton, A., Keeley, S. J., Boyer, C. R., Domenghini, J. C., Patton, A. J., Chavarria, M. R., Carr, T. Q., Hutchens, W. J., Frank, K. W., Xiang, M., Folck, A. J., Soldat, D. J., Koch, P. L., Thoms, A. W., Koski, A. J., Barnes, M. R., Trappe, J. M., & Braun, R. C. 2025. Horticulture industry awareness and use of lawn and landscape cooperative extension education resources. Natural Sciences Education. In Review.   

Zhou, Q., Soldat, D. J., & Ruark, M. D. (2024). Short‐term soil carbon mineralization on golf course sand‐based putting green and its effect on creeping bentgrass nitrogen uptake. Crop Science, 64(2), 1051-1060.

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