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YOUR TURF
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Corny solutions for turf
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Tons of dried distillers grains are held in storage at an ethanol plant in West Burlington, Iowa. Photo by Steven Vaughn |
When corn is processed to make ethanol (or whiskey or vodka), the solids that remain from the distillation process are called distillers grains. Distillers grains take several forms, including distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), which traditionally have been used in livestock and poultry feed. Since one 56-pound bushel of corn yields 2.72 gallons of ethanol and 17 pounds of DDGS, the recent expansion of corn ethanol production may markedly increase the supply of DDGS.
Traditionally, DDGS have been used as livestock feed, but currently about 100 scientists at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research are searching for new uses for DDGS and other farm-based commodities. Steven Vaughn, a plant physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service in Peoria, Ill., and other USDA scientists began testing DDGS to find out how they could be used in horticulture or agriculture. The resulting research by ARS scientists Rick Boydston, Ph.D., Harold Collins, Ph.D., and Vaughn showed that DDGS applied to the surface soil around transplanted ornamentals significantly reduced common chickweed and annual bluegrass and therefore reduced “the amount of hand-weeding typically required.” However, DDGS incorporated into the potting soil proved toxic to the ornamentals.
According to Vaughn, DDGS also looked like “a great granular fertilizer,” but the scientists had to figure out how to maximize its potential. As it turns out, DDGS are not toxic to established turfgrasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue and perennial ryegrass, or to sedges, but they do inhibit seed germination and broadleaved plants. When DDGS were incorporated in turfgrass stands, they provided “a stronger and quicker green-up response than some other organic materials and a longer-lasting effect than synthetic fertilizers,” says Vaughn. DDGS also reduced the possibility of run-off.
Vaughn and his co-workers also found that if DDGS can be incorporated into soil and allowed to decompose before seeds are planted, they can be used as fertilizer on new grass plantings. For example, in the Midwest, if DDGS were added to the soil on April 15, the grass seed could be planted on May 15.
Vaughn says that DDGS have great potential as the primary ingredient in an environmentally friendly fertilizer: “DDGS retain no odor from the fermentation process, and they are a purely plant-derived material.”
One of the larger hurdles that the researchers currently face is that not all ethanol manufacturers are using the same production methods and some change their methods, affecting the composition of the DDGS and possibly altering the effectiveness of any DDGS products that scientists develop. However, Vaughn, an avid golfer, is optimistic that researchers will be able to develop a product that can be used in sod production or possibly on golf courses.
More than 160 superintendents gathered in San Diego recently for PACE Turfgrass Research Institute’s annual seminar, which focused on integrated pest management techniques and tools. Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D., co-director of PACE Turf and a presenter at the event, said that many turf diseases are promoted when soils are too dry, not overly wet, as many people believe. Larry Stowell, Ph.D. and a co-director of the group, said that from his 10-plus years of studying recycled water, he found that the best way to track changes brought about by using recycled water is by monitoring trends in soil chemistry. Turf managers who use recycled water should test soils twice a year, he added, and compare results against the PACE Turf Soil Chemistry Guidelines, which can be found at www.paceturf.org. Want to know how much fertilizer to apply? Go to www.gcsaa.org and click on the Solutions/Tools link on the left-hand side, then click on SuperTools. Scroll the bar down to “fertilizer” and then enter the percentage of nitrogen, pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet and coverage area, and a handy calculator will determine how much fertilizer you need to cover the area specified. |
