GTI Mandate

The Guelph Turfgrass Institute was established in 1987 to conduct research and extension and provide information on turfgrass production and management to members of the Ontario turfgrass industry. Part of the University of Guelph, the institute is supported by the university, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the turfgrass industry.

The first of its kind in Canada, the institute is already recognized as a world-class centre for research, extension and professional development for the study of turf. Building on the University of Guelph's long-standing expertise in turfgrass science, the research activities of the institute continue to focus in areas such as the environmental aspects of pesticide use (fate and persistence), evaluation of grass species, varieties and seeding methods, sports field construction, fertility and management programs, pesticide use and the biological and cultural control of diseases and weeds.

The Guelph Turfgrass Institute's mandate is

To expand and enhance turfgrass research

Various sources of government (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, NSERC), foundation (Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation, Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation), industry, and individual gifts, grants and contracts provide the funds necessary to continue to expand and enhance turfgrass research.

To expand extension and information services

Both routine and extraordinary extension services make up a significant proportion of the work of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute researchers. Professional development programs such as the Turf Managers Short Course, the annual Ontario Turfgrass Symposium, and regular Research Field Days continue to focus on exchange of information and technology transfer between industry and researchers.

To encourage and prepare young people for careers in the industry and in research through undergraduate and graduate programs

In addition to extension education, regular undergraduate (degree and diploma) and graduate programs in turfgrass science are available, with courses covering specific areas such as turfgrass production and management, as well as plant nutrition, physiology, genetics and breeding, pathology, herbicides, and soil physics, chemistry, and biology. Correspondence courses in turfgrass subjects are also offered.

To develop a world-class turfgrass facility

The Guelph Turfgrass Institute's mandate is

To expand and enhance turfgrass research

Various sources of government (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of the Environment, NSERC), foundation (Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation, Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation), industry, and individual gifts, grants and contracts provide the funds necessary to continue to expand and enhance turfgrass research.

To expand extension and information services

Both routine and extraordinary extension services make up a significant proportion of the work of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute researchers. Professional development programs such as the Turf Managers Short Course, the annual Ontario Turfgrass Symposium, and regular Research Field Days continue to focus on exchange of information and technology transfer between industry and researchers.

To encourage and prepare young people for careers in the industry and in research through undergraduate and graduate programs

In addition to extension education, regular undergraduate (degree and diploma) and graduate programs in turfgrass science are available, with courses covering specific areas such as turfgrass production and management, as well as plant nutrition, physiology, genetics and breeding, pathology, herbicides, and soil physics, chemistry, and biology. Correspondence courses in turfgrass subjects are also offered.

To develop a world-class turfgrass facility