About This Project

For my Masters in Environmental Science, I am using compost and compost tea on athletic field turfgrass to see if it can successfully be used in place of traditional chemical maintenance. This would not only directly improve the soil and plant health as hypothesized by Dr. Elaine Ingham (Soil Foodweb Inc, 2018), but would also benefit the student athletes, university, environment.

Ingham - http://www.soilfoodweb.com

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

This project ties together 2 fields that do not currently have a lot of overlap, athletics and environmental science. My unique position including a background in athletics and scientific knowledge of environmental practices has given me the opportunity to bridge the two. Currently, there is very little push for athletic departments to maintain their fields with more environmentally friendly practices. Golf courses however are feeling this pressure. A variety of research conducted on golf courses' turfgrass indicates that compost can be a successful alternative to chemical maintenance. This project will test the success of compost and compost tea on athletic fields.

What is the significance of this project?

Research shows that compost can improve multiple facets of the soil and turf health, but this has not yet been directly studied on athletic fields. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of compost and compost tea on athletic turfgrass. If it is found to be successful, as research indicates that it should, this would greatly reduce the chemicals applied to the fields. In turn, universities would save costs on treatment products (fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides), promote healthier soils and turf with better drainage, potentially benefit student athletes' health, and be better for the environment.

What are the goals of the project?

The goal of the project is to determine if compost and/or compost tea can be a successful method or supplement for field maintenance. The broader goal from this study is to encourage the University and other athletic departments to consider alternative maintenance practices such as compost in order to reduce their environmental impact.