Research grants from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) are supporting six new research projects this year at universities across the country. Two new O.J. Noer projects, three Chapter Cooperative Grant projects and one Dr. Michael Hurdzan Endowment project were funded.
The projects, which were selected by a committee that included two members of the GCSAA board of directors, superintendents, university researchers and professional scientists, will receive a total of $140,000 from a block grant to GCSAA by the Environmental Institute for Golf, GCSAA’s philanthropic organization.
The new research projects are:
- Optimizing Fungicide Programming for Dollar Spot Control in Bentgrass Fairways; James A. Murphy Ph.D., Rutgers University. Co-funded by the GCSA of New Jersey Foundation and the New Jersey Turfgrass Foundation.
- Development of Solutions for Goosegrass Herbicide Resistance and Dwarfism in Golf Course Putting Greens; Scott McElroy Ph.D., Auburn University. Co-funded by the Alabama GCSA and Alabama Turf Research Foundation.
- Long-Term Effects of Topdressing and Cultivation Practices on an Annual Bluegrass Putting Green; Alec Kowalewski, Ph.D., Oregon State University. Co-funded by the Oregon GCSA and Northern California GCSA
- Developing Minimum Levels for Sustainable Nutrition (MLSN) for New England Golf Course Soils; Karl Guillard, Ph.D., University of Connecticut. Funded through the EIFG’s Dr. Michael J. Hurdzan Endowment, which supports environmental research on golf courses.
- Microbial communities associated with dollar spot-suppressive soils on golf courses; Paul Koch, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin. Funded through the EIFG’s O.J. Noer Research Grant. Co-funded by the Wisconsin GCSA.
- Long-term suppression of turfgrass insect pests with native persistent entomopathogenic nematodes; Albrecht M. Koppenhöfer, Ph.D., Rutgers University. Funded through the EIFG’s O.J. Noer Research Grant.
The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game.
