Overview

My program focuses on the environmental aspects of turfgrass production and management, including the fate and impacts of pesticides and fertilizers applied to lawns and other turfgrass areas.

Research Focus

My current research program centers on soil and environment issues facing turfgrass managers in New York and throughout the world. My main focus currently is nutrient and pesticide fate in sub-watersheds as influenced by landscape type, pest management system, soil phosphorus and site characteristics. Our work is showing how important it is to development of a dense turf to reduce environmental risks, careful selection of pesticides to protect water quality and what site factors are most important in affecting water quality

Outreach and Extension Focus

I have been working with numerous groups and agencies that are interested in protecting the environment. They include: golf course superintendents on eastern Long Island, NYDEC and USEPA to develop nitrogen management plans to protect the quality of the Peconic Estuary; turfgrass managers, fertilizer industry, NYS Attorney General’s Office, NYDEC, NYCDEP, and Cornell Cooperative Extension to better understand the role turfgrass has on phosphorus runoff in the New York City and other watersheds; and with sod growers on eastern Long Island and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County to reduce nitrate leaching while still producing a profitable sod crop.

Additional Links

• Cornell Turfgrass
• Link to CALS Research and Impact
• Link to Research & Expertise Across Cornell

Selected Publications

Journal Publications

• Easton, Z. M., Sullivan, P. J., Walter, M. T., Fuka, D. R., Petrovic, A. M., & Steenhuis, T. S. (2010). A simple metric to predict stream water quality from storm runoff in an urban watershed. Journal of Environmental Quality. 39:1338-1348.
• Soldat, D., Petrovic, A. M., & Ketterings, Q. M. (2009). The effect of soil phosphorus levels on phosphorus runoff concentrations from turfgrass. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 199:33-44.
• Slavens, M. J., Petrovic, A. M., & Barlow, J. (2009). The impact of recycled water irrigation on soil health and quality of newly established cool season turfgrasses during drought conditions. . International Turfgrass Society Research Journal. 11:471-480.
• Soldat, D., Petrovic, A. M., & Barlow, J. (2008). Turfgrass Response to Nitrogen Sources with Varying Nitrogen Release Rates. 783:453-462.
• Petrovic, A. M., Gruttadaurio, J., Barlow, J., Harrison, E. Z., Bonhotal, J. F., Schwarz, M., & Soldat, D. (2008). Turfgrass Response to Manure-Based Compost Applications on Athletic Fields Bases on Site Factors. Acta Horticulturae. 783:425-436.
• Petrovic, A. M., Gruttadaurio, J., Barlow, J., Harrison, E. Z., Bonhotal, J. F., Swartz, M., & Soldat, D. J. (2008). Influence of Site Conditions on Soil Responses to Manure-Based Compost Applications on Athletic Fields. Acta Horticulturae . 783:415-424.
• Soldat, D. J., & Petrovic, A. M. (2008). The fate and transport of phosphorus in the turfgrass ecosystems. Crop Science Journal. 48:2051-2065.
• Nektarios, P. A., Petrovic, A. M., & Steenhuis, T. S. (2007). Preferential flow in simulated greenhouse golf putting green profiles as affected by aeration and two soil moisture regimes . Soil Science . 172:108-123.
• Easton, Z. M., Gerard-Marchant, P., Walter, M. T., Petrovic, A. M., & Steenhuis, T. S. (2007). Identifying dissolved phosphorus source areas and predicting transport from an urban watershed using distributed hydrologic modeling. Water Resources Research. 43:Art. No. W11414.
• Easton, Z. M., Gerard-Marchant, P., Walter, M. T., Petrovic, A. M., & Steenhuis, T. S. (2007). Hydrologic assessment of an urban variable source watershed in the northeast United States. Water Resources Research . 43:Article W03413.

Presentations and Activities

• Learning from Research to Maximize Turf Performance While Minimizing the Impact to the Environment. November 2011. University of Pisa. Pisa, Italy.

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