What began nearly 10 years ago as a way to help superintendents and sports field professionals manage turf growth has grown to become a tool to assist them in maintaining playing surfaces more efficiently.
GreenKeeper App was founded in 2017 by Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., then of the University of Nebraska, and Doug Soldat, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin. Its initial use was to help superintendents and sports field managers manage plant growth regulator applications by tracking growing degree days. Since then, it has undergone numerous upgrades, enhancements and program features that have armed superintendents with more data to make better agronomic decisions.
Among those recent updates is the addition of remote mower-mounted sensors to help diagnose turf health and integrate the data, a weather station that collects data to be used in making agronomic decisions to maintain turf health and manage green speeds, and a new whiteboard system that integrates the "who" with the "what" and the "where."
"People are now understanding that data are important in turf management," Kreuser said.
The rX Turf Health sensor system uses LED light to measure radiative transfer and biophysical characteristics of the turf plant. The key, Kreuser says, is monitoring the plant after the mower has passed over it.
Some of the factors the sensors measure are:
- nitrogen status
- leaf density
- drought symptoms
- biotic stress damage
- abiotic stress damage
- presence of grassy and broadleaf weeds
"By mounting the sensors behind the mower, an LED light is looking at the reflection of light," Kreuser said. "As a plant gets healthier, it reflects more light energy."
The integrated AX Datalogger system turns on when the mower starts, scans turf during the mowing process, tracks mower run time and location, and uploads data to the GreenKeeper App when the mower returns to the shop.
The WX Weather Station measures:
- temperature
- humidity
- pressure
- precipitation
- solar radiation
- wind speed
- wind direction
The station reports weather data every 15 minutes to GreenKeeper App and begins monitoring precipitation when it starts raining. Solar radiation measurements allow for accurate hourly and daily evapotranspiration. Rain gauges can be added to collect data across the property.
People are now understanding that data are important in turf management.
The whiteboard allows for basic tasks like managing staff and scheduling labor and can also be used to integrate agronomic practices, including spray programs and mowing schedules, and assign equipment to specific personnel and jobs.
Later this year, GreenKeeper is adding a reporting feature that puts all of this data into the superintendent's hands at the click of a button.
"We are taking data the superintendent is collecting and putting it in one place to help them make better decisions," Kreuser said. "This kind of decision-support helps them be more precise and save time and money."
Previous updates include Greenkeeper CIS that allows users to map course boundaries, log pest applications, create prescription spray maps and add drone maps and application records. Users can turn data into application maps for GPS-guided sprayers allowing them to save time and money on product and water.