For the second year, Quali-Pro held its annual research symposium, where researchers from seven universities presented trial data and studies on herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and turf grass regulators. The two-day symposium was held last month at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, Mich.
“We’re pleased to have brought together some of the industry’s most talented researchers to discuss new chemical advancements, rotations and strategies as well as how our products stack up against other brands,” said Jerry Corbett, technical services manager for Quali-Pro. “The conference was great, and it spurred an exchange of intelligent ideas and questions.”
Symposium presenters included Fred Yelverton and Rick Brandenburg of North Carolina State University, Shawn Askew of Virginia Tech University, Ron Calhoun of Michigan State University, John Kaminski of the University of Connecticut, Paul Koch of the University of Wisconsin and Scott McElroy of Auburn University and Corbett.
Each researcher presented results for Quali-Pro products as they were tested and measured against branded products in various field trials. All data presented demonstrated that the Quali-Pro product performed equal to the original branded product, showing no statistical difference.
In the TNEX (trinexapac ethyl) field trials conducted by Ron Calhoun of Michigan State University, it was found that the higher the outside temperature, the shorter the residual in the plant. This is where more frequent applications work by lessening rebound and balancing growth suppression, he said. Trials on TNEX combos showed effective suppression and increased green up.
When it comes to trends in the insecticide market, Rick Brandenburg of North Carolina State University said new insect pests are on the rise, informing symposium attendees of the following emerging insects: bill bugs, annual bluegrass weevils, red imported fire ants and white grubs. Research presented by Brandenburg proved that the critical factors for control are application timing and knowing the exact life cycles of pests. Newer insecticides have lower toxicities and are more environmentally friendly, so Brandenburg said it’s critical to apply them at the proper state in the pest life cycle. He added that residual control is the biggest advantage of insecticides containing imidacloprid alone and in combos.