Talking summer heat stress with Dr. Bingru Huang

I spent two fine days with Dr. Bingru Huang last month when she visited Thailand. We talked a lot about topics such as rice (Oryza sativa) being a staple crop in tropical climates despite using the C3 photosynthetic pathway, the same as cool-season grasses such as bentgrass and Poa annua. I also asked her about fertilizer, especially nitrogen (N), and how N rates and timing might be adjusted most effectively to improve turfgrass performance. Remember that you can see temperature-adjusted…