RESEARCH NEWS
Photo: Lysimeters used for measuring nutrient leaching at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center.
III. National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) Trials I managed four NTEP trials at MSU in 2024: fine leaf fescue fairway traffic, and fine leaf fescue fairway height nitrogen rate trial, Kentucky bluegrass standard test, and Kentucky bluegrass ancillary traffic test. The results from these trials can be found at www.ntep.org.
IV. Future Plans a. Leaching research will continue indefinitely. b. Winterkill Trials in 2025 i. Photoinhibition study on seeded creeping bentgrass ii. Late Fall Topdressing as a Practice to Mitigate Winterkill iii. Fertilizer rate, timing, and leaf mulch effects on snow mold
V. Extension Activities My appointment at MSU is split among extension (70%), research (20%), and teaching (10%). I am the turfgrass extension specialist for Michigan and have been the committee chair of the MSU Turf Team since 2009. I view my role as an extension specialist as a conduit to communicate recommendations and research to both industry professionals and the public. I communicate via written articles, presentations, interviews, emails to industry list-serves, and social media using X and Facebook.
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In 2024, I gave extension presentations in East Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Novi, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Saginaw, and Grand Rapids. I attend almost all MiGCSA meetings to be a representative of MSU and provide informational updates on MSU and MTF activities and events. I continue to write and revise articles on turfgrass management for the MSUE news website throughout the year. I work with an IT specialist, to maintain the GDDTracker website. I serve as a resource for the MSUE Lawn and Garden telephone hotline and for turfgrass questions submitted online or via email. I participate in weekly/biweekly conference calls during the growing season for the Consumer Horticulture extension group to provide turfgrass management updates and answer questions extension educators may be receiving.
PROJECT NAME:
Effects of Winter Rolling on Turf Health, Disease and Spring Green Up (2023-2025) Thomas Nikolai, Eric J. Galbraith, Mike Rabe Michigan State University How the MTF funding will be used to support project(s): Support funding will allow researchers to evaluate turf tolerance to daily winter rolling and evaluate early spring green up effects as well as summer season effects pertaining to disease control, green speed and overall turf and soil health as daily rolling continues throughout the year. Also, in December of 2024 we inoculated the plots with snow mold. Currently it appears the rolling as diminished the snow mold.
www.michiganturfgrass.org