'Roots in Research' Newsletter
CMREC - Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility - Yield Year 2022
We are proud to present you with the first edition of a series of annual newsletters showcasing the diversity of applied research and hands-on educational programming that happen at the University of Maryland Research and Education Centers across the state. These facilities provide a living-laboratory space to carry out research addressing the real-world problems facing our farmers from issues like invasive species, climate change, economics, and environmental conservation. The information produced from these research projects is shared with the scientific community and directly to the public through journal articles, extension newsletters, and many other formats, but compiling summaries of all of the work done at each facility in one publication here gives a snapshot of how many projects are carried out at each research farm every year.
Here, we have compiled reports on the 2022 projects at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center (CMREC) at Paint Branch, also known as the Turfgrass Facility. CMREC-Paint Branch is unique among the RECs, because the main facility buildings are actually located on the northernmost point of the College Park campus, while the fields are on USDA ground, which is a part of the Beltsville ARS South Farm. As other RECs have diversified the types of agricultural research they support, this facility maintains the specialization on turf management. With fields representing residential lawns, sports fields, and even putting greens, the perennial grasses maintained at this facility provide a living laboratory for research, teaching, and extension in the field of turf science. This research facility continues to actively engage with industry to develop research priorities, while engaging undergraduate students with the proximity to the rest of campus. We hope you enjoy reading about the breadth of different projects, and gain some insight on the value of the work carried out at the RECs each year.
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Maryland Extension Publications and Resources on Turf Grass
There is a compiled list of resources from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Extension Publications, along with other resources and manuals to help support the turfgrass industry. The Turfgrass Technical Updates (TT-Bulletins) of the University of Maryland's Department of Natural Resource Science and Landscape Architecture are featured here. These are the most current versions of the publications.
Check out Maryland Turfgrass Council website for this list.
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Evaluation of New and Commercial Fungicides for the Management of Brown Patch (Rhizoctonia solani)
Fereshteh Shahoveisi, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park
Brown Patch (caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani) could be devastating to several turfgrass species including tall fescue. A field study was designed and conducted at the Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility (University of Maryland) to evaluate the efficacy of a new and two commonly available fungicides in the management of the disease. Tall fescue cv. Bullseye with a 3-inch height of cut was used to test fungicides; a non-treated control was also included. Read more>>
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Humid, Temperate and Subtropical Turfgrass Species Growth in Maryland: A Living Lab for Students
Mark Carroll, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
As a member of the University of Maryland turfgrass team, and the instructor of the University of Maryland’s introductory turfgrass management course, I am always mindful that a turf student may do an internship or relocate to another region of the country following graduation. As such, I dedicate equal amounts of time introducing students to turfgrass species that are common in mid-Atlantic region as well those that found in other regions of the country. Read more>>
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Evaluation of Fungicides for the Management of Gray Leaf Spot (Pyricularia grisea) on Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
Fereshteh Shahoveisi, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park
A field study was carried out at the Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility in College Park, Maryland. Perennial ryegrass cv. Majesty with a 3-inch height of cut was used to test the efficacy of fungicides in the management of gray leaf spot disease caused by Pyricularia grisea. Treatments were applied approximately every 14 or 28 days beginning June 30th, 2022, and concluded on September 23rd, 2022. Non-treated plots were also included as negative controls. A CO2 backpack sprayer equipped with a Teejet AI9508E nozzle was used to spray 2 gal /1000 ft2 fungicides in 3×6 feet plots. Read more>>
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Evaluation of New and Commercially Available Fungicides for the Management of Dollar Spot on Fairway Height Creeping Bentgrass
Fereshteh Shahoveisi, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park
Dollar spot is caused by several Clarireedia species (Clarireedia spp.). A field study was designed and conducted at the Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility in College Park, Maryland to evaluate the efficacy of new and commercially available fungicides in the management of the disease. fairway height (0.5-inch height) creeping bentgrass cv. Penncross was used to test the fungicides. A nontreated control was also included. Read more>>
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Evaluation of Experimental Fungicides for the Management of Gray Leaf Spot (Pyricularia grisea)
Fereshteh Shahoveisi, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park
Gray leaf spot (caused by the fungus Pyricularia grisea) could be devastating to several turfgrass species including perennial ryegrass and tall fescue. Two field studies were conducted at the Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility (University of Maryland) to evaluate the efficacy of experimental fungicides in the management of the disease. Perennial ryegrass cv. Majesty with a 3-inch height of cut was used to test fungicides; non-treated and CLEARY 3336 4 F fungicide were included as negative and positive controls, respectively. Read more>>
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Evaluation of Fungicides for the Management of Brown Patch (Rhizoctonia solani) on Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea)
Fereshteh Shahoveisi, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park
Brown Patch (caused by Rhizoctonia solani) is one of the important turfgrass diseases commonly observed in home lawns in the Mid-Atlantic region. A field study was carried out at the Paint Branch Turfgrass Facility (University of Maryland) to evaluate the efficacy of some fungicides in the management of the disease. Tall fescue cv. Bullseye with a 3-inch height of cut was used to test fungicides and a non-treated control. Treatments were applied approximately every 28 days beginning June 1st until August 26th, 2022. A total of 2 gal /1000 ft² fungicides in 3×6 feet plots were sprayed at each application using a CO2 backpack sprayer equipped with a Teejet AI9508E nozzle. Read more>>
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