Improvement in stress tolerance of forage and turf grasses is a major breeding goal. Most forage and some turf grasses are grown on marginal lands under stressful environments with minimal inputs. In contrast, current high-input turf grass production systems such as golf courses and lawns are expensive and often environmentally unfriendly. Cultivars with improved stress tolerance are necessary ...

This publication is written for lawn care professionals, golf course superintendents, or anyone with a lawn. Its emphasis is on soil management and cultural practices that enhance turf growth and reduce pests and diseases by reducing turf stress. It also looks at mixed species and wildflower lawns as low maintenance alternatives to pure grass lawns. SUSTAINABLE TURF CARE LEAVE THIS SPACE HERE F...

The turf grass Sporobolus virginicus is halophyte and has high salinity tolerance. To investigate the molecular basis of its remarkable tolerance, we performed Illumina high-throughput RNA sequencing on roots and shoots of a S. virginicus genotype under normal and saline conditions. The 130 million short reads were assembled into 444,242 unigenes. A comparative analysis of the transcriptome wit...

Vigorous plant growth without sunlight is routinely achieved in commercial hydroponic lettuce and tomato production using electric lamps. This same technology can be used to maintain live turf grass in closed athletic stadiums. It can also be used to supplement natural sunlight in retractable roof stadiums. The challenge is to determine the optimal combination of genetic characteristics and env...

IN August GOLFDOM I discussed the pros and cons of ammonium sulphate as a weed-control agent, while the importance of proper fertilization and management of turf were stressed in the September number from the weed control angle. While it is vital that the greenkeeper be thoroughly versed in both the theory and practice of the above phases of turf maintenance, nevertheless, in themselves, they d...

Whole-genome sequences established for model and major crop species constitute a key resource for advanced genomic research. For outbreeding forage and turf grass species like ryegrasses (Lolium spp.), such resources have yet to be developed. Here, we present a model of the perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) genome on the basis of conserved synteny to barley (Hordeum vulgare) and the model gra...

Weeds are commonly found in bermudagrass turf during the winter and early spring throughout the Southeastern United States whether this turf is used for lawns, parks, athletic fields or golf courses. Mild winter temperatures favor rapid growth of these annuals. When bermudagrass goes dormant in the fall after the first killing frost, it does not compete with germinating winter weeds. Bermudagra...

The grass family Poaceae includes annual species cultivated as major grain crops and perennial species cultivated as forage or turf grasses. Heat stress is a primary factor limiting growth and productivity of cool-season grass species and is becoming a more significant problem in the context of global warming. Plants have developed various mechanisms in heat-stress adaptation, including changes...

T FIRST fertilizer plats on this continent devoted to lawn grasses were started by the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station. Sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda, alone and in combination, were used as the source of nitrogen. Superphosphate and muriate of potash were added to make a complete fertilizer. The plats were laid down in 1907 and were fertilized continuously until 1942, whe...