** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** TURFGRASS COVERS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF U.S. LANDSCAPES (~65,000 SQ. MI.), FROM PARKS TO HOME LAWNS, CONTRIBUTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE ECONOMY AND PROVIDING RECREATIONAL, AESTHETIC, AND ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS. HOWEVER, THE MANAGEMENT OF TURFGRASS, PARTICULARLY MOWING PRACTICES, CAN HAVE UNINTENDED ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, SOIL DEGRADATION, AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY. MOWING IS A MANAGEMENT PRACTICE INHERENT TO ALL TURFGRASSES, YET LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW MOWING IMPACTS THE HIDDEN BUT CRITICAL BELOWGROUND ASPECTS OF TURFGRASS SYSTEMS, SUCH AS ROOT HEALTH, SOIL FOOD WEBS, AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS. RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNCOVER HOW DIFFERENT MOWING PRACTICES INFLUENCE THESE FACTORS AND TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT BALANCE AESTHETICS, FUNCTIONALITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, ESPECIALLY IN THE FACE OF A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD.THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE HOW MOWING INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY AFFECT TURFGRASS ROOT GROWTH, SOIL MICROBIAL AND FAUNAL COMMUNITIES, AND KEY ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS LIKE CARBON CYCLING AND NUTRIENT RETENTION PROVISIONED BY ROOTS AND SOIL ORGANISMS. THE RESEARCH WILL INVOLVE CONTROLLED GREENHOUSE EXPERIMENTS TO STUDY ROOT RESPONSES AND LARGE-SCALE FIELD STUDIES TO EXAMINE SOIL HEALTH AND BROADER ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS. ADVANCED TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS IMAGING ROOT TRAITS AND TRACING CARBON FLOW USING STABLE ISOTOPES, WILL PROVIDE DETAILED INSIGHTS INTO THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MOWING PRACTICES AND BELOWGROUND PROCESSES. FINDINGS WILL BE SHARED WITH TURFGRASS MANAGERS, EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS, AND THE BROADER PUBLIC THROUGH WORKSHOPS, WEBINARS, AND ACCESSIBLE PUBLICATIONS.BY IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MOWING, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT ENHANCE SOIL HEALTH, REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, AND SUPPORT BIODIVERSITY.THE RESULTS WILL BENEFIT NOT ONLY THE TURFGRASS INDUSTRY BUT ALSO COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS ACROSS URBAN AND RURAL LANDSCAPES, CONTRIBUTING TO MORE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTS.