Recap of the 2021 UMN Turfgrass Field Day By Maggie Reiter University of Minnesota Our UMN Turfgrass Field Day for grounds and parks audiences took place on September 10 at the Turfgrass Research and Outreach Education Center in St. Paul. The 2-hour event featured research projects and a lineup of UMN speakers including: Summary of turfgrass cultivar evaluations—Eric Watkins Managing turfgrass under shade stress—Dominic Petrella Performance of turfgrasses subjected to drought—Florence Sessoms Rhizome formation in fine fescues—Nicole Mihelich Selecting turfgrass for roadside environments—Dominic Christensen Crabgrass control with natural and organic products—Maggie Reiter Allelopathy and weed suppression in fine fescues—Florence Sessoms Social science discussion of artificial turfgrass use—Michael Barnes
We hosted 30 attendees; the group consisted of turfgrass managers from city, college, and cemetery groups, sales and manufacturing representatives, and lawn care operators. Post-event survey respondents said the event was efficient, informative, and enjoyable. Over 94% of respondents said they increased their understanding of maintaining turfgrass during drought, selecting the right grass species, and managing turfgrass in shade. Several said they would change their management practices to select better grasses for drought or shade, reduce inputs of fertilizer and
Dr. Eric Watkins discussing turfgrass species and cultivar evaluations.
mowing, and communicate the latest information to their clientele. We will do this again next year, so keep an eye on MTGF channels for announcements about turfgrass field days. In the future we will showcase research related to fine fescue grasses, technology for irrigation management, natural and organic weed control, and ways to reduce pesticide use. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to all our supporters and funders over the years!
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