EAST LANSING, Mich. – With a little determination, Michigan State University (MSU) researchers hope to ensure the grass is greener on the other side of the fence through studying proper turf management techniques.
In coordination with Farm Bureau Insurance, the university is in the midst of conducting research that is attempting to make good turf practices available to high schools throughout the state. The study is focusing on how proper turf management techniques can improve the quality of athletic fields. Researchers are also looking at how to make fields stay safer longer.
Kevin Kelly, vice president of marketing for Farm Bureau Insurance, is enthusiastic about the project. "What we're doing is investing in safety and better-quality programs for Michigan kids and families in athletics," Kelly said. "This study will be great for providing higher-quality fields to reduce the threat of injuries."
Lisa Lundberg, a crop and soil sciences graduate student, heads up the project for her master's thesis. "The idea is to come up with simple protocols for athletic field management through cultivation, fertilization and mowing," she said.
The project was established during the summer, and results are expected by November 2001. As part of the project, Lundberg has mailed out more than 800 surveys asking Michigan high school turf managers about their maintenance procedures.
"The objective is to quantify what you put into the field and what you get out of it," she said. "We plan to have a routine setup where turf managers in Michigan high schools would know to put ‘x’ amount of fertilizer in and mow ‘x’ amount of times weekly to play ‘x’ amount of games."
Lundberg has planted 12 different treatments of turf that will be exposed to varying levels of fertilization poundage, cultivation and mowing. The hope is that researchers will be able to determine which procedures work best.
"The telltale factor will be when we run over each plot over 50 times with our traffic simulator," she said.
Trey Rogers, a crop and soil sciences professor, said they will continue conducting research even after Lundberg has graduated. University researchers will attempt to apply the procedures deemed best for Michigan high schools.
"The study is unique in what we're attempting to do – how many games can be played in connection to mowing and fertilization," Rogers said.
While most high schools already implement specific turf management procedures, MSU researchers are hoping to upgrade their standards, Rogers said.
"Every high school already has turf management," Rogers said. "What we're trying to do is provide a vehicle for them so they can improve the quality of their fields and how many times they are used."
The author, Cutler Fetherston, is a writer for the Michigan State University newspaper The State News.