Sun shines on NCSU turf program

RALEIGH, NC — Even with the noonday sun beaming down upon them through a the blue Carolina sky, turfgrass researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) nevertheless marveled at how perfectly the stars had aligned for them.

NCSU turf experts (l. to r.): Lane Treadway, Rick Brandenburg and Fred Yelverton.

Here in June 2003 they were showing off what, by the same time in 2004, will be one of the finest field laboratories for turfgrass research in the United States. Located just off a pleasant country road about 10 miles from campus, the former farm (a donation to the university) will soon have seven acres of research plots, with 10 additional acres ready when needed.

When we visited the site in the company of NCSU turf experts Fred Yelverton, Lane Treadway and Rick Brandenburg, one section of the farm had been sprigged with bermudagrass just the day before. You could see workers laying irrigation pipe in other areas of the property in preparation for more turf plots. The site replaces the smaller location nearer campus.

“It looks like we may be on the first step of a pretty good set of stairs,” grinned Brandenburg, professor of entomology. “It’s been almost miraculous that so many things are falling into place.”

Golfdom Editor Larry Aylward (l.) reviews his notes with weed scientist Dr. Yelverton.

Indeed, the NCSU turf team, with help from industry, is on a roll as evidenced by another huge win for the program — the establishment of a Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education in 2002. The Center, as Brandenburg explained, is not a bricks-and-mortar facility. It’s a funded entity that allows colleagues in a number of disciplines— economics, plant pathology, soil science, among them — to consider the environmental effects of turfgrass in a number of settings. Put another way, it’s an administrative unit to distribute funds, he explained.

Of immediate concern to the scientists are issues such as how water quality is affected by persticides, fertilizers and other chemicals used to manage turfrass, and new ways to control insects, weeds and diseases in ways that enhance the environment.

The Center, one of 20 such centers focusing on a variety of disciplines at NCSU, was made possible after the state general assembly passed a bill providing $600,000 for turfgrass environmental research and educational programs. The funds come from taxes on the sale of fertilizer and seed to people who aren’t farmers.

Dr. Brandenburg pointed out that North Carolina's population grew by 21% in the 1990s. And so did its turf industry.

“It took us years to get that done,” says NCSU’s Yelverton, associate professor of crop science. “The bottom line is that we got it through.” Yelverton pointed out that funding for turfgrass research is hard to come by, not just in North Carolina, but across the nation. It has not kept up with the growing of the economic importance of the turfgrass industry.

“You have an industry that is exploding and the funding mechanics just haven’t caught up,” said Yelverton. For example, turfgrass is grown on 2.2 million acres in North Carolina compared to the 1.3 million acres devoted to soybeans, the most widely grown crop in the state. A 1999 study pegged the economic impact of the state’s turfgrass industry at $4.7 billion, accounting for 96,000 jobs.

The NCSU successes mean big things for both the industry and the university program. From an industry standpoint, North Carolina, because of its climate, is a great testing location for both warm- and cool-season turfs. Indeed, just about every variety of turfgrass that’s used can be found somewhere in the state. The program is hoping to add a turfgrass breeder to its staff in the future.

Also, as the Center builds momentum, it’s expected to attract additional funding and partnerships from industry. “Industry will identify its research needs and academia can provide the expertise to address those needs,” added Yelverton.

No, this isn't Mayberry but it is North Carolina. And by next summer will be one of the finest university turf research facilities in the United States.