QTPA Member Alert | TROPICAL TURF PROJECT UPDATE (prepared by Matt Roach DAFFQ) (5/7/2012)
TROPICAL TURF PROJECT UPDATE (prepared by Matt Roach DAFFQ)
As you are all probably aware Redlands Research Facility through Matt Roach has been working on a project entitled “Tropical Turf Project” TU09001 – Adaptation of warm-season turf grasses for the tropics. This project was to include Darwin, Mackay Cairns and Singapore, however both Cairns and Singapore have pulled out of the project.
Attached is a project update from Matt Roche on the Tropical Turf Project (sites in Mackay and Darwin) that has been prepared to keep our TQ membership up to date on the project. As described in the attached, the project has had a number of difficulties which have now been overcome and it is getting back on track.
“Following the modified HAL head agreement, the project in its current form (available budget) will allow for a total of 3 formal assessments to be conducted by DAFFQ research staff of the Darwin and Mackay trial sites to track comparative turf performance only (e.g. turf quality, colour, mowing requirements, incidence of disease) within the later tropical locations. Within the original HAL application nutritional studies aimed to reduce nitrous oxide emissions through reduced fertiliser applications and “traffic stress” (implementing wear and compaction) studies using a simulated wear machine (similar to work undertaken within TU08018) were to be undertaken at both the Darwin and Mackay trail sites. However, due to a significantly reduced budget as a result of CUGE’s (Singapore) withdrawal and no financial support being made available from the turf R&D levy; these parameters are unable to be researched”.
DAFFQ would also like to thank to following Queensland and Northern Territory sod producers and seed suppliers for supplying turf material or assisting in the delivery of material to either the Darwin and or Mackay trial sites. They include:
• Australian Lawn Concepts
• Jimboomba Turf Pty Ltd
• Top End Turf
• Tropical Lawns Pty Ltd
• Turfworld
• Turf Solutions Pty Ltd
• Tinamba Turf
• Horton’s Turf
• Australian Premium Seeds Pty Ltd
• Progressive Seeds Pty Ltd
[prettyfilelink src=”http://qtpa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/TU09001-Milestone-105-update-120628.pdf” type=”pdf”]TU09001 Milestone #105 update 120628[/prettyfilelink]
Jim Vaughan
Chief Executive Officer
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