Research project: Icebreaker
ICEBREAKER - a research program for reducing the agronomic and economic impact of ice damage on golf courses and other grasslands. With custom designed sensors, installation, and in-kind funding, 7Sense contributes to the initiative.
Winter damage due to Ice Encasement (IE), melting water and subsequent problems with reestablishment is a recurring problem on Nordic golf courses.
This project will prepare turfgrass managers for unstable winters through improved strategies for winter management and reestablishment in spring. The project consists of 6 work-packages:(1) Development of a lab-method to screen turfgrass varieties for LDIE50 (Lethal Duration of IE for 50% of plants), (2&3) Field trials in which wireless temperature and CO2/O2 sensors and/or impermeable plastic sheets are installed before ice formation, and snow and ice are removed at various times during winter; (4) Lab. and field trials focusing on the risk for formation of Reactive Oxygen Species after ice melt/removal; (5) Field and lab. trials focusing on identification and eradication of toxic substances formed under ice; and (6) field trials testing bentgrass cultivars, seed treatments and sowing machines for faster reestablishment after winter kill.
7Sense participates in work packages 2, 3, 4 and 5. We have specially made sensors for this purpose that fit inside the golf turf and detect CO2, O2, relative humidity, and temperature, both above and below the surface.
Research period: 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2023
Project pictures:
