2025 Program – Turfgrass Trends for Changing Times

Dr. Travis Gannon, Co-Director, Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education

Dr. Loren Fisher, Interim Associate Dean and Co-Director, NC Agricultural Research Service

Dr. Ian Burke, Head, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

“USGA Sustainability Efforts: Back to the Future”

Dr. Daniel O’Brien, Research Director, United States Golf Association Green Section

Dr. Jordan Booth, Senior Director, Course Consulting Service, United States Golf Association Green Section

Dr. Mike Kenna, Consultant, Natural Grass Science and  Editor, Golfdom Magazine

https://youtu.be/i5Ep6kdOSyg

• “Pesticide Use in Turfgrass Systems: Balancing Efficacy, Safety, and Public Perception” – Dr. Travis Gannon, Professor, Pesticide Fate in Turfgrass Systems

https://youtu.be/yCHAkLCY7gs

• “Pixels, Patterns, and Perception: Automating Turfgrass Evaluations with UAVs and Artificial Intelligence” – Rob Austin, Research & Extension Specialist, Turfgrass Phenomics

https://youtu.be/cOMkkvjEUwo

• “Improved Resilience and Increased Sustainability: 15 Years of Sustained NIFA funding in Turfgrass Breeding” – Dr. Susana Milla-Lewis, Professor, Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics

https://youtu.be/pDEouX5rpWU

“Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Turfgrass Management “

John Hurst, The Toro Company, Sr. Director Center for Technology, Research, and Innovation and Robotics

https://youtu.be/ISavRtE-lHw

• “Measuring Organic Matter at the Speed of Light” – Payton Perkinson, PhD student, Turfgrass Management
• “Exploring genetic diversity for seed-related traits in zoysiagrass” – Balihar Kaur, PhD student, Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics
• “Behavioral Differences and Management Responses of Root-Knot Nematodes Affecting Turfgrasses in North Carolina” – Jack Mascarenhas, PhD student, Turfgrass Pathology
• “Data-driven fertilization management of ultradwarf hybrid bermudagrass putting greens” – Nirmal Timilsina, PhD student, Turfgrass Management
• “Optimizing preemergence herbicides in turfgrass by understanding influential factors” – Robby Andrews, MS student, Pesticide Fate
• “Automated Seedhead Counting in Zoysiagrass: Early Insights from AI-Based Image Analysis” – Stefano Fratton, PhD student, Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics
• Q&A Panel

https://youtu.be/LwgYPNfyYLM

Opening speaker: Dr. Garey Fox, Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

https://youtu.be/aH6Nb3F-pdM

• “Targeted Weed Control in Turfgrass Using Precision Spot Spraying Technology” – Dr. Navdeep Godara, Assistant Professor, Turfgrass Weed Science

https://youtu.be/PiNzuHxH7CA

• “Developing and using genomic tools for St Augustinegrass” – Dr. Joe Gage, Assistant Professor, Crop Genetics and Genomics

https://youtu.be/u5QK5D3mh74

• “Verification or disproving the empirical data for sand replacement post aerification in USGA sand-based putting greens” – Dr. Roch Gaussoin, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln  

https://youtu.be/LEQgsgnwDzs

• Q&A Panel

• “Detection and distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with SDHI-insensitivity in Clarireedia spp.” – Dylan Dean, PhD student, Turfgrass Pathology
• “Demonstrating the Feasibility of Genomic Prediction in St. Augustinegrass” – Jaswinder Kaur, PhD student, Turfgrass Genomics
• “Rethinking Annual Bluegrass Weevil Monitoring: Enhancing Detection with Computer Vision and Drones” – Gram Grant, MS student, Turfgrass Entomology
• “Exploring alternatives to quartz-based sands in golf course management” – David Toscano, MS student, Turfgrass Management
• “Metabolomic and Microbiome Responses to Progressive Drought Stress in Drought-Tolerant and Drought-Sensitive Bermudagrass Cultivars” – Sayada Momotaz Akther, PhD candidate, Soil Microbiology
• “Exploring Spectral Responses of Turfgrass Seedheads Using UAV-Based Pika L Hyperspectral Imaging” – Caiwang Zheng, postdoctoral researcher, Translational Plant Phenomics
• Q&A Panel

https://youtu.be/_C2Pef9q674