{"id":483,"date":"2025-11-18T04:02:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T09:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utk-stg.utk.edu\/turfgrass\/?page_id=483"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:49:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:49:34","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.utk.edu\/turfgrass\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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UT is Leading the World in Turfgrass Research<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Perfecting the pitch for FIFA World Cup 26<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More than a billion people will watch every kick, save, and goal during FIFA World Cup 26. And every game will take place on a natural turfgrass pitch perfected through turfgrass management research by experts at the University of Tennessee. Before some of the world\u2019s top athletes step onto the pitch, it\u2019s the job of Professor John Sorochan and his team of turfgrass scientists to make sure every field is safe for the players and has identical playing conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does it take to tackle turfgrass research on this ambitious scale?\n<\/strong>
It takes a team of global turfgrass experts with years of professional experience working with organizations like the NFL and the MBA and at Olympic venues. It takes collaboration with specialists in fields like biomechanics, kinesiology, and plant sciences. And it takes innovative partnerships with industry leaders like FIFA, who for the first time has invested in turfgrass research.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Watch UT turfgrass experts prepare pitches for FIFA World Cup 26<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transformational research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From growing natural grass in a domed stadium with colorful LED lights to installing live plants in the place of artificial turf, UT turfgrass experts are collaborating with researchers at Michigan State University on a five-year project that is pushing the boundaries of turfgrass management. UT is known for research that solves real-world challenges and makes lives better, and this research on turfgrass\u2014a $60 billion dollar industry in the United States\u2014will reach far beyond the realm of sports.  <\/p>\n\n\n\nRead more about the challenges UT experts have faced and the solutions they have developed.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Testing with fLEX<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Real-life problems call for innovative solutions, so when lead researcher John Sorochan and research scientist Kyley Dickson needed a mechanism to test the natural turfgrass they were developing for FIFA, they invented the fLEX Device. Between simulating an athlete\u2019s foot strike against the turfgrass and an array of sensors on the machine, data is collected to measure the performance and playability of the surface. The groundbreaking invention ensures that pitches in Canada will play the same as those in Mexico and everywhere in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRead more about how fLEX will revolutionize the sports turfgrass industry.<\/a>\n\n\n\n

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Watch the flEX Device in action<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\"A\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Science meets sport<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Over the course of five years, UT\u2019s turfgrass scientists have spent countless hours and conducted more than 170 experiments in pursuit of safe and consistent pitches for FIFA World Cup 26. They have developed turf systems for different kinds of stadiums, grown grass, and worked with sod farmers and stadium managers. Take a look at the research team\u2019s journey from seed to stadium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019ve got some of the stiffest challenges that\u2019s ever been put in front of any team. We’re spending millions of dollars here, but we’ve got confidence we can do that, because we know we’re going to get a return.<\/p>Alan Ferguson<\/strong>
FIFA senior pitch management manager<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\"Two\n\n\n\n\"A\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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