“Color, Transfer, and Application Parameters of Turfgrass Colorants” with Garland (Drew) Pinnix.

In kindergarten, we’re taught that colors can be one of seven colors of the rainbow. Later, we learn fun colors like purple mountain majesty and get excited when our friend brings a 50-pack of crayons. In reality though, color is much more complex, a mixture of hue, brightness, and saturation. Drew Pinnix thinks a lot about color, specifically in relation to turfgrass. Most of the time, the beautiful turfgrass we see at golf courses or football fields is due to careful management by professionals trained in plant science or agronomy. However, sometimes weather or cost restrictions gets in the way, and turfgrass managers look to colorants to get the turfgrass ready for use and for cameras quickly.

However, getting a natural color that won’t rub off as football players slide in after a fumble is incredibly complicated. That’s where Drew’s team comes in. He works to scientifically evaluate turfgrass colorants so football fields and golf courses can keep looking gorgeous year-round. Tune in to learn more about Drew’s experimental design, turfgrass management, and learn answers to the following:

• What are some reasons that turfgrass managers might use colorants?
• What is overseeding, and why might it be done intentionally?
• What is hue angle?
• What is the difference between hue, saturation, and brightness?
• Does a colorant work better on wet or dry turf?

If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.2134/agronj2017.03.0164

It will be freely available from 19 April to 3 May, 2019.

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If you would like to reach out to Drew, you can find him here: [email protected]

Resources

CEU Quiz: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/832 

“Air Temperature Effects on Turfgrass Colorant Transfer” paper: dx.doi.org/doi:10.2134/cftm2017.12.0091

“Leaf Wetness Influences Turf Colorant Application” paper: dx.doi.org/10.2134/cftm2018.12.0099

TurfFiles: https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/

Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.