Turfgrass Envirotron Success Story
Grady Miller
University of Florida, Gainesville
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The last couple of stories under this section have been associated with specific Turfgrass Envirotron studies, but this article's focus will relate to all Turfgrass Envirotron activities. Turfgrass Envirotron activities relate to the Research, Teaching, and Service mission that University of Florida has as the primary Land Grant Institution in Florida. While the focus of Envirotron projects is research, many yearly Envirotron activities are directed at teaching people about turfgrass and educating them about the importance of continued turfgrass research.
During a recent Environmental Horticulture Open House, I realized how much work we do at the Turfgrass Envirotron benefits so many different people. During 1996, the Envirotron hosted five formal tour groups of at least 15 people, one international group of 30 turf professionals, and four class tours of various sizes from academic departments across campus. One of the formal tours had over 125 people and another over 250 people. During this same time period, the Envirotron's staff escorted at least thirty tours of one to five people at a time through the facilities. A conservative estimate would be 500-600 people toured the Turfgrass Envirotron during 1996. Each person heard about the importance of turfgrass while viewing the facilities and learning about current research projects. Many of the smaller tours were handled by biological scientist Jan Weinbrecht and Envirotron laboratory technician Mitch Morgan, both well versed with the particulars of ongoing studies in and around the Envirotron.
Even though the Envirotron is not well suited for sit-down meetings for very many people, we frequently have small group brainstorming sessions trying to solve various turfgrass problems. We also hold a weekly turf group meeting to discuss day-to-day operations for the week and to organize data collection for various studies in-progress. More than once, a table in our "dirty lab" has been cleaned off for an informal luncheon with a few supporters.
Another exciting use of the Turfgrass Envirotron concerns our student education. Each semester, I have three to four turfgrass class labs that utilize facilities available in the Envirotron. In these labs students have the opportunity to do everything from hands-on calibration of fertilizer and spray equipment to analyzing irrigation system efficiency. Many students within the turfgrass curriculum also participate in independent study projects in the Envirotron's greenhouses. Of course, graduate student work often utilizes greenhouses and isolation houses, as well as equipment and space available in our laboratories and offices.
I was recently asked about who is eligible to use the Envirotron's facilities. My response was, "does it directly relate to turfgrass?". The Turfgrass Envirotron is managed as part of the Environmental Horticulture Department but that does not limit facility use to one department. In the last year, we have had studies conducted in the Envirotron involving fifteen faculty members and eight graduate students representing six departments. In 1996 we had our first visiting scientist Roy Nishimoto from University of Hawaii working in the Envirotron on several weed science projects. We also currently have turf projects involving USDA personnel. We have had studies conducted on everything from ants to zeolite. The Environmental Horticulture Department is committed to working with researchers and industry to have the best facilities to conduct laboratory, rhizotron, and greenhouse studies that relate to turfgrass culture, maintenance, and development possible.
Envirotron studies completed or currently underway include those involving: water use efficiency, drought tolerance, commercial soil amendments, St. Augustinegrass and bahiagrass root growth, mycorrhizal fungi, native plants, composts (municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, and yard trash), weed biology and control (kyllinga, nutsedge, congongrass), effluent water, salt refuse water, soil fumigation, green grow-in fertilization, overseeding starter fertilization, irrigation scheduling, FloraDwarf characteristics, ant influences, gene transfer, and biological control (dodder, dandelion). Look for more success stories on research projects in coming issues.
Building the Turfgrass Envirotron was made possible with funds provided by the Florida Turfgrass Association and the State of Florida. Support for Envirotron studies comes from people interested in advancing knowledge related to the science of developing and managing turfgrass. Through these studies hopefully we all can exert a positive influence on the future of the turfgrass industry.