CTRF Receives Donation from Atlantic Turfgrass Research Foundation

Media Release: October 21, 2014

The Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation (CTRF) announced earlier today that it has received a $12,000 donation toward turfgrass research in Canada from the Atlantic Turfgrass Research Foundation (ATRF).  The monies will be used for turfgrass research aimed at improving the quality and sustainability of turfgrass sites including golf courses, sports fields and turf uses generally.

This contribution is the second of three that the ATRF has committed to providing to the Foundation.  It is in addition to the annual assessment that each member organization is asked to contribute.  The ATRF is funded through events and activities and industry support generated by the Atlantic Golf Superintendents Association.

The CTRF is currently supporting nine active research projects at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Olds College in Alberta, the Orillia campus of Lakehead University and a privately managed project with the Chimera Group.  These projects are concerned with overwintering and related cultural practices, drought resistance, the activation of natural defense mechanisms in the turf plant to fight disease and the identification and management of magnaporthe poae, the causal agent of summer patch on annual bluegrass and Kentucky bluegrass.  The newest projects involve an educational poster on the benefits of turfgrass in the urban environment, the selection and management of bentgrass cultivars for improved resistance to microdochium patch under current and predicted future climatic conditions, the management of take all patch in high pH soils and the impact of golf courses on nutrient loss and overall pollutant export from developed areas.

In total, CTRF spending on turfgrass research over the next three years based on current and pending approvals will exceed $350,000.  This is just the CTRF contribution to this research.  In total, these commitments will induce total spending for donated services and matching or leveraged grants of over $750,000, a number that could grow before the research is completed.

The CTRF is a registered charity with a mandate to raise monies and sponsor research projects that advance the environmental and economic benefits applicable to turfgrass.  The CTRF is funded by contributions received from the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, Golf Canada and regional golf and turfgrass research organizations from across Canada including the Western Canada Turfgrass Association, the Alberta Turfgrass Research Foundation, the Saskatchewan Turfgrass Association, the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation, the Quebec Turfgrass Research Foundation and the Atlantic Turfgrass Research Foundation.

For further information or to make a tax deductible donation to the Foundation, please contact:

Ken Cousineau, CAE
Executive Secretary
Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation
kcousineau@golfsupers.com
416-626-8873 ext. 222