Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Turfgrass industry consist of a large and diverse group and includes golf course superintendents, sport turf managers, landscape maintenance industry, homeowners and sod producers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Objective 1: In April 2021 Miami Dade County approved an ordinance regulating the use of fertilizer and creating the Chapter 18C of the Code. The chapter is known as the "Miami Dade County Ordinance for Florida-Friendly Fertilizer Use on Urban Landscapes". The Section 18C-6 establish that each applicator needs to successfully complete the six-hour GI-BMP training and the Section 18C-7 establish that the applicator must have the training prior to obtaining or renewing a Local Business Tax Certificate (LBT). The Managers from the county Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) Outreach and the Regulatory Economic Resources (RER) Code Enforcement reach out to the agent for support and help. In order to increase the knowledge of the subject matter, theUF Specialist organized two webinars in English and Spanish about fertilizers best practices with the participation of 87 people Objective 2: Published EDIS paperHow to Properly Read Your Irrigation Water Analysis for Turf and Landscape: ENH1352/EP616, 12/2021 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: To identify the best combination of nitrogen (N) rate and soil amendments that result in reduced supplemental irrigation for turfgrass in Florida Publish Best Management Practices manuscript for sod producers. Start study investigating BMP for new CitraBlue cultivar Objective 2: To evaluate the effect of reclaimed water irrigation on turfgrass performance resulting in best management irrigation practices when non-potable water is used Replicate greenhouse trial and start field trial Objective 3:To identify environmentally compatible management practices and pest control strategies to enhance turfgrass quality that support a healthy planet Start a studyto combine cultivation-independent high-throughput DNA sequencing of microorganisms associated with leaves and roots of these distinct cultivars with microbial cultivation and lab testing of efficiency of nematicidal bacteria and fungi from the least susceptible one and from surrounding natural grasses
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Irrigated green space provides the public with other important functional, recreational, and aesthetic benefits, e.g. intercepting potential groundwater pollutants, reducing soil erosion, providing cooling environmental effects, and cheap safe playing surfaces. However, lawns and recreational turf areas are considered nonessential in many communities because they believe that these areas need to be irrigated with considerable amounts of water and fertilize with substantial fertilizers to maintain their aesthetic and recreational value. To identify the best combination of nitrogen (N) rate and soil amendments that result in reduced supplemental irrigation for turfgrass in Florida. A 4-yr study was conducted at the University of Florida's Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center to assess the turfgrass quality of four St. Augustinegrass cultivars ('CitraBlue', 'Floratam', 'Palmetto', and 'Raleigh') grown on a Hallandale fine sand (siliceous, isohyperthermic Lithic Psammaquents) and fertilized at either 2.5 or 5 lb per 1,000 ft2 per yr. Plots were evaluated monthly for visual turfgrass quality, and yearly for genetic color, leaf texture, spring green-up, and summer density. CitraBlue had the highest turfgrass quality, color, and density. Differences were rarely detected among the other three cultivars. Nitrogen rates had an effect only on summer density, suggesting that St. Augustinegrass grown on Hallandale fine sand with 3.4% organic matter in South Florida could be managed with less N than is currently recommended without detrimental effects. A second study was conducted at University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, to assess performance of four hybrid bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylonL. Pers. X Cynodon transvaalensis (Burtt-Davy)] cultivars ('Latitude 36', 'Tifway 419', 'TifGrand' and 'TifTuf'), and 2 common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.) cultivars ('Bimini' and 'Celebration') irrigated at either 50% or 80% reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and fertilised at either 0, 146, 244, or 342kg N ha−1 year−1. Plots were evaluated monthly for turfgrass quality, dark green colour index (DGCI), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and Chlorophyll Index, and seasonally for N tissue content. Plots watered at 80% EToenhanced bermudagrass quality compared to 50% ETo, DGCI and NDVI only in two months out of 24. Latitude 36 and Celebration were the top-rated cultivars, and their quality was not affected by no N fertilisation. Conversely, TifGrand, TifTuf and Tifway that received no N fertilisation resulted in insufficient quality during the second year of the study. Insufficient quality may be linked to reduced N metabolization compared to the highest rated cultivars. Results show that new cultivars such as Latitude 36 and Bimini could be maintained at sufficient quality levels with reduced water and N inputs in South Florida. To evaluate the effect of reclaimed water irrigation on turfgrass performance resulting in best management irrigation practices when non-potable water is used. A preliminary greenhouse trial was be conducted in 2021 to investigate N adsorption of Celebration when irrigated with reclaimed vs. fresh water. Reclaimed water is considered high in salinity, medium for Na permeability hazard, and very severe for bicarbonates hazard (U.S. Regional salinity laboratory, 1954). Turf was grown in 6 in. deep lysimeters filled with native sand and will be watered to saturation weight twice per week using the respective water source. Turf will receive either 0, 146, 244 kg N ha-1 yr-1 through a complete fertilizer with 70% slow release N. Tissue samples was collected weekly to determine growth rate and N content, and leachate samples was collected after each irrigation event. To identify environmentally compatible management practices and pest control strategies to enhance turfgrass quality that support a healthy planet. While turfgrass areas provide numerous ecosystem services in urban environments, ecological side effects from intensive management are raising concerns on their sustainability. One potentially promising approach to ameliorate the ecological impact and to decrease the use of agricultural chemicals is to take advantage of naturally evolved turfgrass-associated microbes by harnessing beneficial services provided by microbiomes. Unfortunately, especially compared to agricultural crops, microbiomes of turfgrasses are not well understood. Here, we analyzed microbial communities inhabiting the leaf and root endospheres as well as soil in two bermudagrass cultivars, 'Latitude 36' and 'TifTuf' that exhibit distinct tolerance to nematode damage, with the goal of identifying potential differences in microbiomes that might explain their distinct phenotype. We used 16S rRNA gene V4 and ITS2 amplicon sequencing to characterize microbiomes in combination with microbial cultivation efforts identify potentially beneficial endophytic fungi and bacteria. Our results show that Latitude 36 and TifTuf showed markedly different fungal microbiomes, each harboring unique taxa from Ascomycota and Glomeromycota, respectively. In contrast, less difference was observed from bacterial and archaeal microbiomes, which were dominated by Bacteroidetes and Thaumarchaeota, respectively. TifTuf microbiomes exhibited lower microbial diversity compared to Latitude 36. Many sequences could not be classified to a higher taxonomic resolution, indicating a relatively high abundance of hitherto undescribed microorganisms. Our results provide new insights into structure and composition of turfgrass microbiomes, but also raise important questions about functional attributes of key taxa.?
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Schiavon, M., Shaddox, T. W., Williams, K. E., Gallo, S., Agustin Boeri, P., Bryan Unruh, J., Kruse, J., & Kenworthy, K. (2021). Nitrogen requirements for deficit-irrigated bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) fairways in South Florida. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 00, 1 11. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12558
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Schiavon, M., Shaddox, T. W., Williams, K. E., Kenworthy, K. E., & Unruh, J. B. Long-term effects of low N rates on St. Augustinegrass cultivars. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Mgmt, 2021; e20127. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20127
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Progress 04/01/20 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Turfgrass industry, consisting in: Golf Course Superintendents Associations, Sport Turfgrass Manager association, Homeowners, HOA, park and recreations, constructors, landscape companies, agrochemical companies providing chemicals for the turf industry (nutrients, pesticides, etc.) Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All data collected and analyzed will be presented at the annual UF IFAS South Florida Turfgrass Field Day and Expo. Data for all the NTEP trials will be publlicly available at www.ntep.org What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Finish analyzing data for current studies. Find a graduate student that could start his PhD project on long term effluent water irrigation effects on turfgrass.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Turfgrass is the largest irrigated crop in the United States and a multi-billion-dollar industry in Florida. In the State of Florida, the turfgrass industry employs 83,944 people ranking #2 in the U.S. The Florida golf course industry has the highest economic impact in the U.S. creating an output of $3.1 billion of the U.S. total of $23.3 billion. Most Floridians are influenced by turfgrass in their daily lives. This project integrates basic and applied research that will assist millions of people who maintain lawns, visit parks, engage in sports, or who simply care about the aesthetics and sustainability of their environment. Objective 1: To identify the best combination of nitrogen (N) rate and soil amendments that result in reduced supplemental irrigation for turfgrass in Florida. Three studies are currently undergoing at the UF/IFAS FLREC. The first is an ancillary trial for the 2016 St. Augustinegrass National Turfgrass Evaluation Project (NTEP). Twenty seven St. Augustinegrass cultivars fertilized at either 2.5 or 5 lb N/M/year have been evaluated since 2016 for turfgrass quality on a scale 1-9 (1=worst/dead); 9=best). Results have been collected and sent to NTEP and are currently waiting for analysis. Two more studies are currently investigating effects of different wetting agents application rates and frequency on drought stressed bermudagrass. The first study was conducted from July until October 2020 on 'Tifway' bermudagrass irrigated at either 75% or 55% reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and treatments were applied every two, or four weeks at full or half rate. Plots were evaluated for visual turfgrass quality (1 to 9 scale, 1 = worst to 9 = best), visual color (1 to 9 scale, 1 = straw color, 9 = dark green color), volumetric soil water content (VWC) using time domain reflectometry (TDR). Data are currently being analyzed. The second study is investigating the effects of wetting agent applications on N uptake in 'Celebration' bermudagrass. A wetting agent is applied every two, or four weeks at full or half rate. Plots were evaluated for visual turfgrass quality (1 to 9 scale, 1 = worst to 9 = best), visual color (1 to 9 scale, 1 = straw color, 9 = dark green color), volumetric soil water content (VWC) using time domain reflectometry (TDR). Data are currently being analyzed. Data are currently being analyzed. Objective 2: To evaluate the effect of reclaimed water irrigation on turfgrass performance resulting in best management irrigation practices when non-potable water is used. A study area is currently under construction at the UF/IFAS FLREC. Effluent water pipes were brought to the center, and up to the area that is currently under construction. One foot of sand is also being brought to the center and dumped into the study area in order to create uniform soil conditions where the irrigation system will be installed. Next an irrigation system that will allow for comparison between potable and effluent water will be constructed, and different turfgrass species will be established in the study area with potable water before the beginning of the study. Finally, lysimeters will be buried 6 inches below the grass in order to evaluate leachate for total nutrient leaching. Objective 3: To identify environmentally compatible management practices and pest control strategies to enhance turfgrass quality that support a healthy planet. A USGA/NTEP study was conducted with the objective of determining the amount of water needed to sustain acceptable turfgrass quality and to identify cultivars and species best adapted to drought and deficit irrigation. Fifteen warm-season turfgrasses comprising three species were irrigated at three reference evapotranspiration (ETo) replacement levels (60% ETo, 45% ETo, and 30% ETo) from December 2019 to July 2020. The study area was maintained under fairway conditions, mowed 3 times per week at 0.5 inch, and fertilized with 0.5 lbs N/month during the growing season. During the deficit irrigation period, plots were evaluated monthly for turf quality on a scale from 1-9 (9 = best). On the same day, percent green cover was recorded using digital image analysis (DIA). Two more NTEP trials (bermudagrass and zoysiagrass 2019 trials, consisting of) established in November 2019 are currently being evaluated monthly for turfgrass quality
Publications
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