Carbon
Sequestration In Urban and Suburban Turfgrass Lands
Urban turfgrass covers over 20 million ha in the U.S. To determine
the role of turfgrass in sequestering atmospheric CO2
and in improving soil quality, we have conducted an initial study
using historic soil testing data collected from large turf facilities.
We found that a rapid C sequestration occurred during the first
0-25 years after turfgrass establishment, at average rates approaching
0.9 and 1.0-ton ha-1 year-1.
These rates are comparable or exceed those recently reported for
US
land that has been placed in the crop reserve program.
In
collaborations with Dr. Ron Follett (USDA-ARS) and Dr. John Kimble
(USDA-NRCS), an experiment is in progress to compare carbon sequestration
under various turf management conditions, including different mowing
and irrigation management regimes. Our research approaches
include carbon isotopic technique and ecosystem modeling.
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Stress Tolerances of Saltgrass
In
conjunction with the saltgrass breeding
program and sponsored by the United States Golf Association,
the objectives of this project are to: 1) screen for salt
tolerance of advanced saltgrass breeding accessions; 2) determine
the level of salinity tolerance of potential new cultivars; 3) determine
the level of salinity tolerance during germination; and 4) quantify
cold hardiness of saltgrasses.
This information is
important for breeders as they develop new cultivars, as well as
for the proper marketing and utilization of new cultivars.
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Animal Waste Utilization In Turfgrass Systems
In the South Platte River Basin, manure concentration in livestock
producing areas has led to long-term
over-application of manure and subsequent nitrate contamination
of the shallow alluvial aquifer and phosphorus contamination of
some reservoirs. Identifying new uses for manure could reduce
the over-application of manure and subsequently improve water quality.
The growth in the Front Range, accompanied
by a rapid increase in turf acreage, presents an opportunity for
manure utilization that could move manure out of the agricultural
belt near the South Platte River. In collaborations
with Dr. Jessica Davis, a study is initiated to address the following
objectives:
1) To
measure the impact of composted manure application on nutrient (N
and P) runoff and leaching from turfgrass,
2) To
evaluate composted manure in its ability to improve turf establishment,
rooting, shoot growth, and overall quality, as well as, soil physical
and chemical properties.
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