Turfgrass and Golf Course Research
Spectrum Research, Inc. develops and cooperates with non-profit organizations and government agencies on scientific research and technical assessment related to environmental effects of turfgrass management systems. On-going research projects include evaluation of management practices on water use and runoff, soil erosion, nutrient fate and transport, and pesticide fate and transport.
Spectrum Research, Inc. is currently cooperating with the USDA Agricultural Research Service conducting watershed level research on fate and transport of nutrients and pesticides from golf course s. The research includes development and use of simulation models to evaluate the environmental effects of turfgrass management. Evaluation of best management practices for protection of soil and water resources and maintenance of high quality turfgrass is a goal of our research program.
See our publication page for a look at the specific projects we have accomplished.
Watershed Characterization of Managed Turf
Goal: Assess and characterize the environmental aspects of urban and golf course turf.
Objective 1: Quantify long-term watershed scale hydrology and water quality aspects of managed turf
Approach: Measure storm event and base flow hydrology and water quality from three managed turf sites in three different climatic regions on surface runoff and base flow and collect water quality samples.
Findings: 1) Discharge expressed as a fraction of rainfall is considerably greater compared to other land uses; 2) Measured nitrate concentrations contributed by the courses are well below drinking water standards; 3) Dissolved phosphorus concentrations generally exceed levels consistent with those known to lead to eutrophication; 4) Pesticide concentrations were generally low although seasonal spikes have been measured.
Objective 2: Determine and quantify water quality contribution from different transport processes
Approach: Establish the partitioning of hydrology and water quality in base flow, subsurface drainage and storm event runoff from managed turf by continuous measurement.
Findings: 1) Hydrology of subsurface drainage is significantly linked to irrigation; 2) 20-60% of pollutants exiting the site are cycled through the subsurface drainage network
Objective 3: Relate hydrology and water quality findings to turf management and evaluate turfgrass Best Management Practices
Approach: Correlate nutrient and pesticide losses to fertility, pest and irrigation management
Findings: 1) Most significant phosphorus losses occur during turf dormancy; 2) Reducing phosphorus application and modifying the irrigation strategy suggests a decrease in phosphorus concentration
Cooperators: Spectrum Research Inc., USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northland Country Club (Duluth, MN), Royal American Golf Links (Columbus, OH), Morris Williams Municipal Golf Course (Austin, TX); U.S. Golf Association
Drainage Filtration: Development and Evaluation of a BMP to Reduce Chemical Loss
Goal: Design and test the efficacy of a flow through filter system using an array of natural and synthetic by-product materials to reduce nutrient and pesticide transport from a turf watershed.
Objective 1: Assess the ability of some commercially available systems to filter soluble pollutants from drainage waters originating from a managed turf site
Approach: Laboratory testing with flow rates equivalent to those measured in field studies and field testing on drainage pipe outlets from managed turf sites
Findings: 1) Approximately 15% of the applied nitrogen is captured in discharge waters; 2) Reduction in nitrate nitrogen concentration was 4.7%, dissolved reactive phosphorus, 51.6%, chlorothalonil, 58.2%, and metalaxyl, 28.8%; 3) System has been installed on tile drainage outlet at a private golf course in MN.
Objective 2: Design, develop, and field test effectiveness of delivery systems and identified by-product materials
Approach: Field testing at a 54 acre turf watershed
Progress: Field site has been instrumented with access pipe and sampling equipment. Materials have been identified and an experimental design developed
Cooperators: Spectrum Research Inc., USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northland Country Club (Duluth, MN), U.S. Golf Association, Royal American Golf Links (Columbus, OH), Kristar Enterprises Inc.
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