Location: Forage and Range Research
Project Number: 2080-21500-002-030-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jan 1, 2026
End Date: Dec 31, 2028
Objective:
1. Expand seeding of Siberian and Snake River wheatgrasses to four new out-of-bound regions at four golf courses. Provide best seeding practices and evaluate establishment success. Measure plant height, spring and summer dormant colors, canopy temperature, and soil health. Use digital resources to obtain golfer feedback.
2. Test Great Basin wildrye, tall wheatgrass, and Salina wildrye for establishment, aesthetic appeal, and persistence for three years at an out-of-bound area in Rose Park golf course. These are distinctive rangeland grasses. Use digital resources to obtain golfer feedback.
3. Evaluate weed pressure reductions upon idaziflam application at two large out-of-bound research areas that have cheatgrass pressure alongside the Siberian and Snake River wheatgrass. These two areas are referred to above at Bonneville and Glendale golf courses in Salt Lake City, UT.
Approach:
The four out-of-bound areas will be treated with Roundup herbicide in the spring prior to planting, and excess dead thatch removed with power raking equipment at each golf course. A blend of 1:1 Siberian:Snake River wheatgrass seed will be planted at 12 lbs/acre rate at the four golf courses in late fall of each year. Establishment success will be measured over the next two years, alongside canopy height and temperature, using meter sticks and termal sensors on a wheeled cart. A QR code will be printed on waterproof paper and posted around each revegetation field. Golfers who access that QR code will be asked three questions about the date and time, their ranking of the meadow appearance, and if their realized the meadow receives no irrigation.
For the second objective, similar seeding and measurements will be taken, except on a small 1 acre section in Rose Park Golf Course. Indaziflam will be purchased and applied by a licensed herbicide applicator on previously seeded out-of-bound acres in Bonneville and Glendale golf courses before the fall germination of cheatgrass. These will be compared to adjacent check areas without herbicide application.