Cornell testing mower results

Charlotte, N.C. – Jacobsen walking greens mowers outperformed competitors in quality of cut and turfgrass health, according to first-year results of a three-year independent study conducted at Cornell University. The study appeared in the Cornell University Turfgrass Times published by Cornell Cooperative Extension and the turfgrass science program.

The study by Frank Rossi, Ph.D., shows that Jacobsen walking greens mowers provide up to a 25 percent improvement in quality of cut. The study also found that Jacobsen models reduce the incidence of anthracnose to as low as 2.8 percent, while competitive equipment generated up to a 21.7 percent incidence of anthracnose.

“This study validates that when it comes to the quality and health of fine turf, the performance of equipment matters,” says Ryan Weeks, director of product management. “Long-term turfgrass research will ultimately help us deliver even better products that reduce the incidence of disease and fungal infestation, providing superior conditions.”

Although the first-year data is complimentary of the Jacobsen equipment, additional seasons of observations will provide more definitive results and help the industry understand why the differences occur.

“Neither manufacturers nor turfgrass scientists have established a standard that defines what healthy turf is and, more importantly, what factors under the control of the equipment designers are beneficial or harmful to the plant,” says Dr. Milt Engelke, Ph.D., professor and faculty fellow at Texas A&M University and agronomist for Jacobsen. “Jacobsen gets behind the science of superior conditions, conducting our own comprehensive research internally. It’s a great statement to have our own hypothesis validated by an unbiased source, but let the study run its course as designed.”

The unfunded study was initiated by Rossi, associate professor of turfgrass science at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. Rossi’s findings, the first from the three-year study, were published in the Cornell University Turfgrass Times. The study showed that the performance of greens mowers markedly affects the health and susceptibility of bent grass greens to anthracnose. Rossi tested four mowers from two companies including Jacobsen’s TC-22 and Greens King 518.

The 2004 study was conducted during an unusually wet year, a situation that makes greens surfaces softer than normal. Organizers feel that these conditions will not affect the data in 2005 or 2006. Rossi notes that even in dry years with more stable green conditions, superintendents are not necessarily able to avoid the stress of close mowing. Their mowing patterns are the result of the golf industry’s demand for faster greens.

The study aims to measure the impact of lowering cutting heights and cutting more frequently to meet these industry demands. The study also evaluates the effect of mower type on incidence of anthracnose and putting green performance.

Not surprisingly, results from the 2004 study showed that more frequent mowing results in higher incidence of disease.

As for mower type, Rossi’s study showed that the Jacobsen floating head mowers had a significantly lower incidence of anthracnose than the other mowers.

Percent incidence of anthracnose
· Jacobsen floating heads showed only 2.8 percent;
· Jacobsen fixed heads: 6.7 percent;
· Toro floating: 10.6 percent; and
· Toro fixed: 21.7 percent.

Rossi is continuing the study this year and in 2006, adding one additional manufacturer and modifying it to include only solid rollers on the equipment.