Research

The New Grass Breeding and Ecology Farm

The new Grass Breeding and Ecology Farm was completed in the fall of 2019. It includes 17 irrigated (80 x 80) plots, 2 irrigated ½ plots (40 x 80) and one 250 x 50 plot for turfgrass and specialty crop breeding, as well as a 5-acre dryland production area. The building consists of an office, heated shop and a barn area for seed cleaning and storage. Anna Hulbert and Jonathan Schnore manage the research facility.

Turfgrass plots.

Turfgrass and Agronomy Research Center (2005-2019)

The turfgrass research facility in Pullman was completed in 2005. It included a USGA experimental green, 15 turfgrass plots (80′ x 80′), an office/shop, and a storage building. Charles Golob, Research Supervisor, managed the research facility. The TARC was relocated in 2019 and renamed The Grass Breeding and Ecology Farm.

Diagram of the plots for the new research area.

Previous Research Emphasis

Previous emphasis was on comparison of different fungicides for snow mold disease control, evaluation of different grass species for the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), evaluation of methiozolin (‘PoaCure’) for Poa annua control in cool-season grasses,  development of Kentucky bluegrass for seed production without post-harvest field burning, and Poa annua control in irrigated Kentucky bluegrass seed production.

In addition to these projects, information on older projects such as controlling leaf spot on golf course fairways, Poa annua seedhead suppression on bentgrass/annual bluegrass golf greens, quantifying post-harvest emissions from bluegrass seed production field burning, development of a rapid and non-destructive method for separating grass clipping from topdressing sand, correlation of field and controlled-environment studies of pink snow mold resistance of PNW greens-type Poa annua, regional climatic characterization of PNW greens-type Poa annua,  nitrogen leaching from a sand-based green, and the use of mesotrione (‘Tenacity’) for weed control in cool-season grasses can be found below.

Current Research Emphasis

Our current research emphasis is on the development of high wear turf for sports fields, evaluation of native species for turf potential, development of seeded Bermuda for high wear turf, salt tolerance of turf species, drought tolerance of turf species, development of Kentucky bluegrass for high yield under a changing climate, development of rhizomatous tall fescue for turf, endophyte persistence in breeding lines, development of yarrow for turf blends.

Project Reports

(note these are pdf files)

Oral and Poster Presentations


If you would like to support further breeding, extension, and research efforts at Washington State University, you can make a donation to the Grass Breeding and Ecology Farm Fund.


PDF Accessibility

If you require an alternative format for any of the content provided on this website, please contact:

Samantha Crow
Program Specialist
509-677-3671