Turfgrass Talk-about Pages 48

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Recap of the 2021 UMN Turfgrass Field Day

BY Maggie Reiter, University of Minnesota,

Our Turfgrass Field Day for golf took place on September 9 at the TROE Center in St. Paul, organized in collaboration with MGCSA. The 2-hour event featured research projects and a lineup of UMN speakers including: 1. Managing turfgrass under shade stress—Dominic Petrella 2. WinterTurf sensor demonstration—Bryan Runck 3. Green and fairway cultivar evaluations—Eric Watkins and Gary Deters 4. Mycorrhizae and biostimulant product testing—Florence Sessoms 5. Digital image analysis of seed shattering—Joan Barreto Ortiz 6. Update on minimal-to-no mow fine fescues—Ryan Schwab 7. Introduction of turfgrass decision-making dashboard—Maggie

Dominic Petrella discussing research about turfgrasses in shade.

We hosted 28 attendees; the group consisted of golf course superintendents and assistants, sales and manufacturing representatives, and a golf course architect.

Post-event survey respondents said the event was excellent, organized, and informative. Over 90% of respondents said they increased their understanding of managing turfgrass during drought, WinterTurf sensor technology, and managing turfgrass in shade. Several said they would change their management practices around no-mow fine fescues and study NTEP cultivar evaluation data closely when selecting grasses.

Gary Deters presenting the NTEP creeping bentgrass putting green trial.

We will do this again next year. In fact, we are considering doing multiple field days with a golf-centric theme. Stay tuned for announcements about a springtime field day (in April or May) where we will showcase research related to winter injury and recovery, and review how golf course fared through the winter. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to all our supporters and funders over the years!