The New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA) has awarded $50,247 in grant money this year to support turfgrass research projects at Cornell University. The funds are distributed through the New York Turfgrass Foundation, an endowment fund established in 1991 with Cornell University to support turfgrass research activities at the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station, and other research institutions. Contributions to the fund come from NYSTA members; POA Annual Golf Tournaments sponsored by NYSTA and New York golf course superintendent associations; businesses and individual benefactors. The Foundation has accumulated close to $800,000 and is now generating $50,000 in interest income per year to be used annually in support of turfgrass research.

This year’s grants for turfgrass research at Cornell University are as follows:

GRANT PROJECT TITLE/PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR/DEPARTMENT

• $13,000 “Improving Soil Test Recommendations for Turfgrass in New York State”

• $10,000 “Determining the Relationship between Soil Phosphorus and Phosphorus Runoff from Turfgrass”, A. Martin Petrovic, Ph.D. – Department of Horticulture

• $10,000 “Optimization of Weed Suppression by Festuca spp. in New York State Turfgrass Settings”, Leslie Ann Weston, Ph.D. – Department of Horticulture

• $7,347 “Rearing the Annual Bluegrass Weevil to Support Serious Screening of Alternative Controls”

• $ 4,900 “Impact of Scarab Grub Management Tactics on Non-Target Soil Fauna”, Daniel Peck, Ph.D. – Department of Entomology

• $ 5,000 “Enhanced Detection and Identification of Plant Pathogenic Pythium Species in Turfgrass Systems”, Eric B. Nelson, Ph.D. – Department of Plant Pathology