Ohio researchers have been examining ways to help golf course superintendents manage a host of situations, from eliminating dollar spot to growing creeping bentgrass in the shade.
These studies were presented at the Ohio State University and Ohio Turfgrass Foundation’s Turfgrass Research Field Day Aug. 16 in Columbus. OSU Turfgrass faculty members and researchers discussed the latest findings on turf disease and insect control for more than 300 landscape contractors and golf course maintenance workers at the event.
Golf course superintendents and grounds crew members learned about new information based on results of studies performed on site. OSU associate professor John Street discussed his findings on the effects of nitrogen fertilization rates and methods on dollar spot in bentgrass. He and research associate Deborah Holdren found that applying ¼ pound of Bulldog every seven days had been the most effective treatment of those tested. This was also true in the two-year study from 2004 to 2005.
Joe Rimelspach, specialist in the department of plant pathology, shared his observations on the yellow patch outbreaks found on many golf putting greens in Ohio this summer. It seemed to explode around Memorial Day weekend, he says.
Other presentations included visiting Irish graduate student Ed Nangle, who presented his research on the effects of nitrogen on bentgrass grown in different light levels and professor Karl Danneberger, paired with visiting Polish scientist Aneta Studzinska to present findings on the effects on double cutting and Primo Maxx on green speed and quality.
In addition to the professor and researcher presentations, a representative from Syngenta advised attendees about checking and maintaining sprayers for maximum effectiveness.
Another hot topic at the event was the spread of the Emerald Ash borer. The destructive insect, which migrated to the United States, landed in Michigan at least 10 years ago and has been spreading to other states, including Ohio. Dave Shetlar, Ph.D., of the OSU department of entomology, gave an hour-long presentation about insects in ornamentals and dedicated some time to this member of the borer family.
“It used to be spread by nursery stock, but that’s being stopped,” Shetlar says about the spread of the insects in the United States. “Now it’s coming from cheap firewood.”
Shetlar describes the warning signs as trees with large areas of bark sheared off. The trees can be treated to decrease the borer count, but Shetlar warns that once the tree is infected, it cannot be saved. Treating it only prolongs the inevitable.
“A lot of fairways have nice Ash trees, and it would take a while to create that look again if all the trees were cut down,” Shetlar says.
One advantage of treating the infected trees and prolonging their lives is that this can allow for the trees to be replaced gradually instead of all in one year, Shetlar says. Municipalities are opting to do this, cutting down a few trees each year and replacing them as they go.
An Emerald Ash Borer task force has been formed to help determine what steps should be taken. Shetlar says data about the insects’ spread won’t be available until November or December because that’s the best time to get samples from trees. Once the data is available and the extent of the problem is known, a course of action will be discussed.
