Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by our blog! This post will cover some high level updates on our results from year 1. Keep in mind that this project is continuing through the end of this year and the data/images presented in this post are not our final conclusions. There will be a handful of images in this post as I feel that is the best way to see the differences or similarities that we are seeing in the field, but I will also share some graphs that show the big picture. The nitty gritty details will come in a later update for those of you that want the specifics, so stay tuned.
Year 1 was a bit of a roller coaster and we are already halfway through year 2! If you will make it no further in this post here is a quick high level summary: Location matters! Different turf species are performing differently across the state. Tall fescue is currently the top performer across all nitrogen rates and locations on average, with kentucky bluegrass being the lowest performing species (not surprising here due to the higher input requirements of the species). However, many bluegrass plots have started to come around in the higher nitrogen treatment groups. The Columbus location is providing the greatest contrast among nitrogen rates while the nitrogen treatment groups at the other 3 locations are tending to blend a little bit more together.
Overall turf quality response of each species and cultivar to N. Averaged across date and location. See previous blog post for description on turf quality.
Overall NDVI response of each species and cultivar to N. Averaged across date and location. See previous blog post for description on NDVI
Below are some images from the Columbus location comparing mid-season last year to now:
Top image is from Columbus location July ’24; bottom image is Columbus location August ’23.
Top image is Columbus location, Replicate 4 from July ’24. Bottom image is Columbus location, replicate 4, September ’23. White outline = 0N; Purple = 0.5N; Blue = 1N; Orange = 2N; Red = 4N. Rates in pounds of nitrogen per 1000sqft. per year
Stay tuned for more updates in the near future!
Thanks for stopping by,
Tyler