2015 Turfgrass and Landscape Field Day Set for Sept. 17

Drought is the central theme of this year’s field day at UC Riverside

By Iqbal Pittalwala on September 11, 2015

By Jeannette E. Warnert

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Scientists planted plots of common turfgrass species and other groundcovers at the Turfgrass Research Facility at UC Riverside last spring, then cut off the water when the weather got hot. The drought resistance of the plants will be evident for visitors to see at the annual UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Turfgrass and Landscape Field Day, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17.

The research facility, site of the field day, is at 1060 Martin Luther King Blvd., Riverside.

The drought trial, which simulates the outcome when a homeowner or business is completely out of water for summer irrigation, includes buffalograss, rosemary, honeysuckle, lantana, salvia, red apple, a sedum mix, juniper, native geranium, star jasmine, a compact thyme, salt bush and St. John’s wort.

“I think a few will survive, but I don’t know if their appearance will be acceptable in a landscape,” said Dennis Pittenger, UC ANR Cooperative Extension area environmental horticulturalist. “We’ll learn a lot about the drought resistance of these plants. Many commonly used groundcovers have more drought resistance than people realize.”

The session on groundcovers is one of 12 to be presented by UC ANR and UC Riverside horticulture experts at different stops at the research facility. Registrants can pick 8 of the 12 stops. The program ends with a barbecue lunch.

Registration is $100. Onsite registration costs $120. The event is intended for turfgrass and landscape professionals, but open to any registrant interested in research findings related to home and business landscape plants. The complete agenda, registration form and previous research reports can be found on the field day website.

For more information contact Saundra Wais, UC ANR program support unit, (530) 750-1260, sjwais@ucanr.edu.

Following are the topics to be discussed at each of the tour stops:

Stop #1: Effects of fungicides and wetting agents on drought stress and recovery from aeration on a creeping bentgrass putting green

Tyler Mock, graduate assistant

Stop #2: Groundcovers and buffalograss under extreme deficit irrigation

Don Merhaut, UC ANR Cooperative Extension specialist, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside

Dennis Pittenger, Area Environmental Horticulturalist, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside

Stop #3: Evaluation of natural and hybrid turf for water conservation

Jon Montgomery, graduate assistant

Stop #4: Research update: Minimum irrigation requirements of large publically and privately maintained landscapes

Janet Hartin, UC ANR Cooperative Extension advisor, San Bernardino County

Lorence Oki, UC ANR Cooperative Extension specialist, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis

Dave Fujino, director, California Center for Urban Horticulture, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis

Bill Baker, Wm Baker & Associates, LLC

Stop #5: NTEP cultivar trials: tall fescue, fine fescue, bentgrass fairway, bermudagrass, zoysiagrass

Jim Baird, UC ANR Cooperative Extension turfgrass specialist, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside

Stop #6: Best management practices for turf under drought or water use restrictions

Marco Schiavon, postdoctoral scientist

Stop #7: Evaluation of products for alleviation of salinity and drought stress

Marco Schiavon, postdoctoral scientist

Stop #8: Plant growth regulators for bermudagrass management

Pawel Petelewicz, graduate assistant

Stop #9: Preemergence control of crabgrass in bermudagrass

Jim Baird, UC ANR Cooperative Extension turfgrass specialist, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside

Stop #10: Evaluation of fungicides for control of anthracnose on annual bluegrass putting greens

Tyler Mock, graduate assistant

Stop #11: UCR turfgrass breeding project

Adam Lukaszewski, Professor, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside

Stop #12: Effects of biochar and biosolid soil amendments on tall fescue under deficit irrigation

Milt McGiffen, UC ANR Cooperative Extension specialist, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, UC Riverside

Jon Montgomery, graduate assistant

Archived under: Inside UCR, Science/Technology, Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, conservation, Cooperative Extension, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, drought, environment, irrigation, Jim Baird, Milt McGiffen, press release, salinity, Turfgrass, water

Top of Page