Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences

Interests:

1. Development of clear, defined and objective methods for assessment of sports fields.
2. Improved turfgrass growth and quality in water limited and/or saline environments
3. Identifying best practices in turf agronomy and sports surface science
4. Compiling information on the grasses of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
5. Promotion of resource use efficiency and sustainability in turf/crop systems

Current projects:

1. Turf management to enhance quality and performance under water limited environments
2. Turfgrass wear tolerance as affected by clipping frequency and fertilizer application.
3. Turf quality and water use in response to common agronomic manipulations (e.g. clipping frequency, herbicide formulation and organic fertilizer inputs)
4. Weed effects and associations with regard to appearance, performance and diagnostic characteristics of sports fields
5. Surface hardness properties of cricket pitches as related to soil moisture content
6. Taxonomy, identification and turf-related characteristics of local grasses

Selected Publications:

Lopez, F. B. and L. Chinnery. 2011. Work of the Sports Agronomy Team (SAT) for Cricket World Cup 2007. In Sports Event Management – The Caribbean Experience (Editors: L. Jordan, B. Tyson, C. Hayle, and D. Truly). pp. 127-140. Ashgate Publishing Group, UK.

Chinnery, L. and F. B. Lopez. 2010. Surface hardness in relation to slope on cricket pitches in the Caribbean. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Sport Surfaces Research Conference (STARSS 2), 21-22 April 2010, Loughborough University, UK, 16 p.

Lopez, F. B. and L. Chinnery. 2010. Quantitative assessment of cricket outfields in the Caribbean region. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Sport Surfaces Research Conference (STARSS 2), 21-22 April 2010, Loughborough University, UK, 19 p.

King, R., F. Lopez, J. Chandler and L. Chinnery. 2009. Shade netting as a soil surface cover for the establishment of Bermuda grass (variety Princess-77). In Proceedings of the 45th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society, 45 (2), 145-152.

Lopez, F. B. and L. E. Chinnery. 2009. Development of a Stimpmeter for cricket fields. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 11, 389-398.

Lopez, F. B. and L. E. Chinnery. 2009. Surface hardness characteristics of cricket pitches as determined with the Clegg hammer. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 11 (Annexe – Technical Papers), 38-40.

Lopez, F. B. and L. Chinnery. 2008. A survey of grounds-keeping practices and needs for cricket fields in Barbados. In Proceedings of the International Congress on Tropical Agriculture, 30 Nov. - 3 Dec. 2008, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, pp 135-143.