2026 Lake Wheeler Turfgrass Field Day

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

The annual Turfgrass Field Day at the Lake Wheeler Lab offers a chance to view the NC State Turfgrass Program’s ongoing research trials and speak directly with NC State’s faculty and staff. The broad range of topics includes Integrated Pest Management, cultural practices, irrigation technologies, aquatic weed management, mosquitoes management in the landscape, weed control and more.

Food and Refreshments

After the presentations, please join us for a boxed, catered barbecue lunch! Complimentary water and pre-packaged snacks will be readily available throughout the day.

Who Should Attend

Our Field Day is designed to welcome and inform. As an attendee, you will have the opportunity to speak directly with the top turf scientists in the nation and see, touch and feel the types of grasses most appropriate for North Carolina. Even if you don’t maintain your own lawn, you will better understand the inputs and maintenance required, making you an informed buyer. You will also meet the top professionals in the industry who care enough to continually improve their education so they can better serve you.

• Turfgrass Scientists
• Landscape Architect
• Landscape Contractors

• Turfgrass Industry Professionals
• Lawn Owners
• Turfgrass Enthusiasts

Registration Information

ON-SITE REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ALL REGISTRATION MUST BE DONE ONLINE.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no registrations or waitlist taken after this date and there will be no onsite registrations.

Field Day Registration - $80

TCNC Member - $10

Enter your CURRENT TCNC membership ID during registration to select TCNC Admission Fee.
*By TCNC rules, each registrant MUST have a separate member ID number, even if from the same company. Members may call the association office to obtain their current membership number at (984) 301-5460.

NC State Extension Agents - Free

Payment Instructions & Cancellation Policy

CREDIT CARD PAYMENT: We accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express for payment of your registration fee. 

CHECK PAYMENT: We accept check payments. When mailing in check, please include a copy of the participant(s) confirmation page(s). You may send us a check made payable to NC State University. Mail to:

c/o Emily Erickson
Department of Crop Science
Campus Box 7620
Raleigh, NC 27695

This event is held rain or shine, except in the case of severe inclement weather, in which case the event may be rescheduled or canceled.

This event provides no refunds, regardless of payment method or timing of payment in relation to the event.

Agenda

7:30 am - 8:30 am

Registration

8:30 am - 9:00 am

Welcome and Remarks
Sod Grower’s Pavilion

2026 Tour of Breeding Plots

Plot Area on South Side of Bill Gilbert, behind Blake Building – Breeding Tour

9:00-10:00 

Stop 1: Zoysiagrass Cultivar Development Updates - Susana Milla-Lewis

Stop 2: Understanding Ranges of Genetic Diversity for Seed Traits in Zoysiagrass - Balihar Kaur

Stop 3: Leveraging Imaging and AI to Improve Evaluation of Seed Traits in Zoysiagrass - Stefano Fratton

Stop 4: Gene Editing for Warm-Season Turfgrasses: Thinking Outside the Common Traits Box - Abigail Jarrell

Stop 5: Comparing Levels of Shade Tolerance Among and Within Bermuda-, Zoysia- and St. Augustinegrass - Esdras Carbajal

Stop 6: St. Augustinegrass Cultivar Development Updates - Susana Milla-Lewis

Stop 7: Enhancing Turfgrass Sustainability in the Southeastern US through Commercialization of low-input Centipedegrasses - Beatriz Gouveia

First Flight Talks

Plot Area on North Side of Dr. Bill Gilbert Way

First Flight, 9:00 – 10:30, each talk within group presented 3 times (pick 3)

9:00 – 9:30 | 9:30 – 10:00 | 10:00 – 10:30

1. Targeted Mosquito Control in Turfgrass Environments. Allie Yackley, Tomo Adams, and Maggie Donovan [Block 24]

2. R&D of the RDs (Rotary Decompactors and Recycle Dressers) in Golf and Sports Turf. Ray McCauley, Payton Perkinson, and Grady Miller [Block 17]

3. Disease Management in Warm-Season Turfgrass Lawns. Jim Kerns and Lee Butler [Block 10]

4. Autonomous Mowing on Zoysiagrass and Bermudagrass Under Drought Stress. Oscar Alcantara Enguidanos, and Qiyu Zhou [Block 8]

5. Optimizing Residual Weed Control in Turfgrass Systems. Travis Gannon, Alex Veverka, and Robby Andrews [Block 40]

6. Reimagining Nitrogen Fertilizer Recommendations for Tall Fescue. Payton Perkinson, Scott Brinton, and Grady Miller [Block 35]

7. Pond area: Aquatic Weed Management. Rob Richardson [Block 30]

Second Flight Talks

Second Flight, 10:30-12:00, each talk within group presented 3 times (pick 3)

10:30 – 11:00 | 11:00 – 11:30 | 11:30 – 12:00

1. Machine Vision-Guided Targeted Sprayer Demonstration, Research Updates, and Emerging Weed Issues. Navdeep Godara, Brooke Heikkila, Venkateswar Reddy Yelkur, and Gram Grant. [Block 31]

2. Applying Precision Management Principles to Turfgrass Fertilization and Irrigation. Nirmal Timilsina, Jizhou Li, David Toscano, and Qiyu Zhou [Block 28]

3. Organic and Conventional Management of Diseases in Tall Fescue. Jill Ploetz and Ben Snell [Block 25

4. Disease Management on Golf Course Turf. Jim Kerns, Dylan Dean, Jack Macarenhas, and Daniel Freund Block 19]

5. New warm-season grasses (bermuda, zoysia, seashore paspalum) for greens. Grady Miller and Scott Brinton [Block 17]

6. From Drones to Traps: Comprehensive Monitoring of Turfgrass Insects. Terri Billeisen, Lily Deeter, and Mike De Luca [Block 11]

7. Beyond the Naked Eye: Seeing Turf Stress with High Tech Cameras. Alexis Suero Mirabel and Jing Zhang. [Block 39]

Lunch

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Boxed Lunch from Parker's Barbecue
& Pesticide Credit Sign In**

Professional Credits

NCDA & CS Pesticide Credits

NCDA & CS Pesticide Credits are approved for the following categories:

A : 0.5
B: 0.5
L : 2.5
N : 2.5
D : 2.5
X : 2.5

**If you are seeking NCDA&CS credits, YOU MUST HAVE YOUR LICENSE TO SCAN ON SITE or sign the pesticide roster applicator's roster form BEFORE YOU LEAVE.

Hotel Information

The McKimmon Center lists several local hotels and corporate codes, when available. Please visit their website for a complete list.           https://mckimmoncenter.ncsu.edu/area-hotels/
Below are two recommendations close to the event location.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Raleigh SW NC State

3741 Thistledown Drive
Raleigh , North Carolina 27606

Hotel Front Desk: 1-919-854-0001
Hotel Fax: 1-919-854-0091
TOLL FREE: 1- 800 439 4745

http://www.hiexpress.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/reservation/findandbook

StateView Hotel Raleigh

2451 Alumni Drive
Raleigh , North Carolina 27606
Corporate Code: NQA

Hotel Front Desk: 1-919-743-0055

https://www.stateviewhotel.com/

Contact Us

Emily Erickson
emily_erickson@ncsu.edu
919-513-2034
Contact with questions regarding event logistics and sponsorship opportunities.

Jim Kerns
jpkerns@ncsu.edu
919-513-4655
Contact with questions regarding supporting the program.

Grady Miller
grady_miller@ncsu.edu
919-515-5656
For questions about this event.