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 From the News Desk...Valent event focuses on educationby John ReitmanLAS VEGAS Ask Scott Todd why his company staged a product launch just weeks after having a captive audience at the Golf Industry Show and the answer might not be what you would expect. “We’re here to provide solutions. It’s not just about selling our products,” said Todd, national business manager for Valent Professional Products. “We’re also here to discuss solutions to problems, get feedback and provide training information.” Turf Madness was a basketball-themed educational event (March Madness, get it?) held March 5-7 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. It also was an opportunity for Valent to introduce more than 70 distributors, golf course superintendents, landscape managers and members of the turf media to information on the company’s new and recently updated products. Make no mistake, Todd’s job is to sell product, and he believes his company's offerings stand up well against the rest of the industry. But he also knows that professional turf managers must deal with myriad challenges, pests and turf diseases, many of which require rotational use of products to maximize efficacy and minimize the threat of resistance. Indeed, just about all in attendance were there because they need information and solutions for turf management or pest management problems back home. The event included research updates by Clemson University turfgrass pathologist Bruce Martin, Ph.D., and Ohio State University entomologist David Shetlar, Ph.D., followed by product presentations by Valent personnel. “The No. 1 thing for superintendents is whatever product they use has to work. There are a lot of good products out there.”Several in attendance, whether they be academic researchers, Valent personnel or turf managers, concurred that anthracnose, brown patch and dollar spot are among the most troublesome summertime turf diseases affecting golf courses. Although the results from the trials that were presented shined favorably on Valent products, researchers pointed out that there is no magic bullet in turfgrass and pest management. In other words, no one product is going to be the most effective against any disease or insect pest in all conditions in all parts of the country. Ultimately, Martin said the best advice is to establish and maintain a relationship with local extension experts on what works best for a specific geographic region. Doing so will help superintendents develop a program best suited for their golf course. “The No. 1 thing for superintendents is whatever product they use has to work,” Martin said. “There are a lot of good products out there.” And it is no secret that using them in rotation is a key to their success. Valparaiso (Ind.) Country Club was a trial site for Valent’s Tourney fungicide, but superintendent David Threlkeld, CGCS, said he wanted to learn more before moving Tourney off a test plot and onto the golf course. Tourney, introduced in Orlando, Fla., at this year’s GIS, is a demethylation inhibitor fungicide with the active ingredient metconazole. It is labeled for low-rate control of anthracnose, brown patch and dollar spot. Threlkeld said that 12 ounces per acre of Tourney provided three weeks of control at his golf course. While he admits to being impressed with Tourney’s efficacy, Threlkeld said he is likely to incorporate it as part of a program that still includes products such as Syngenta’s Daconil and propiconazole and iprodione fungicides. “If I can use something at a low rate and get three weeks of control, that’s a big tool for me,” Threlkeld said. “But I still plan to use those other products.” Martin confirmed the notion that the incidences of many turf diseases appear to be on the rise. He cited a recent paper co-authored by Arthur DeGaetano, Ph.D., and Frank Rossi, Ph.D., both of Cornell University and published in the December 2007 edition of the journal Applied Turfgrass Science as proof. Their study, “Long-term Trends in Meteorological Conditions Favorable for Dollar Spot in Eastern Portions of the United States,” notes that weather conditions conducive to dollar spot – namely more frequent rainfall events – have increased at a majority of 100 sites in the northeastern United States from 1975 to 2004. However, years of research indicate that some fungicides, including DMI class products, have shown a proclivity for resistance issues in some cases, leading to more frequent outbreaks of disease, shorter intervals of control and higher use rates. While weather plays a role in the increased incidence of disease pressure on golf courses, cultural practices might also be to blame, including low mowing heights, frequent mowing, low nitrogen levels, use of plant growth regulators, fungicide resistance, over irrigating, improper fungicide programs, incorrect calibration and measuring of fungicides, Martin said. Contacted after the event, Mike Daly, business manager of Bayer Environmental Science’s fungicide division, concurred with Martin’s observations. “Superintendents are responsible for a green. It just has to look good,” Daly said. “Golfers don’t care what the roots look like. They just want the golf course lush and playable. Roots are related to top growth. “Superintendents are out there to grow roots. If you have great roots, you have great-looking turf.” Other major chemical manufacturers, including Bayer ES, BASF and Syngenta, have products labeled for use against the three turf diseases singled out in Las Vegas. Two recently approved products are BASF’s Trinity and Bayer’s Triton, both triticonazole fungicides based on a chemistry supplied by BASF. Some research into control of brown patch has shows triticonazole to be effective, but also has shown that it can break down before 14 days, Martin said. Still, other research conducted at Rutgers, Penn State and the University of Massachusetts has shown low rates of triticonazole to be effective against brown patch, anthracnose and dollar spot, respectively. Products formulated with Bayer’s StressGard might improve efficacy of some products, including triticonazole fungicides, under certain conditions, Daly said. StressGard, a patented formulation introduced by Bayer during the 2006 GIS in Atlanta, affects how plants process sunlight and food, essentially allowing the plant to store excess reserves of carbohydrates in the roots for times of high stress. One fungicide that seems to break the rules of resistance is Syngenta’s Daconil. Registered nearly 40 years ago, Daconil contains the active ingredient chlorothalonil and is recognized as the most widely used fungicide today. Because Daconil acts on multiple enzymes, diseases will not build up resistance to it, “unless its physiology changes, and that’s not going to happen,” Martin said. Still, some studies, Martin said, have shown increased incidence of anthracnose when Daconil is applied to wet turf. “It’s a comfort level thing too knowing that you have someone in your own back yard who is willing to support you when you have challenges and support you with research that is done locally.Then again, chlorothalonil remains part of a rotational program Jack MacKenzie, CGCS, has developed during his 23 years at North Oaks (Minn.) Golf Club. MacKenzie, who was not at the Valent event, said he begins his season with an application of 0.75 ounces per 1,000 square feet of propiconazole (Banner Maxx or a generic equivalent). He follows up two weeks later with 0.5 ounces of propiconazole mixed with 2.5 ounces of chlorothalonil. He repeats that process four times and follows up late in the season with one application of Emerald for dollar spot control. He said he prefers light, frequent applications of fungicide for better control in Minnesota’s short playing season that typically lasts from mid-April to early November. “I can appreciate someone who says I can get 28 days of control,” he said. “But I’m not going to risk my reputation on that. “We spray early, and we spray often – at low rates.” Such stories only reinforce Martin’s belief of the value of working with local extension specialists who can help superintendents choose the right rotational programs and products, whether they be some combination of Valent, Syngenta, Bayer ES, BASF, or someone else. “I always say that a weak fungicide will look good where disease pressure is low. But where the rubber meets the road, that’s when some of them fall down,” Martin said. “(Extension specialists) are familiar with what’s going on in their area. Superintendents have to know what’s going to work on their course.” MacKenzie agreed that the best way to develop a program that is best for your golf course under local conditions is to work with those who have access to local research. For MacKenzie that person is Brian Horgan, Ph.D., assistant professor of horticulture science at the University of Minnesota. “He’s definitely an asset for Minnesota,” MacKenzie said. “It’s a comfort level thing too knowing that you have someone in your own back yard who is willing to support you when you have challenges and support you with research that is done locally. “People like Frank Rossi are great, and he can come out here any time he wants to, but he’s not here. Brian is.” |
 In other news... Continued contraction is a necessity for golf Analysts agree, more contraction is necessary for long-term health of the golf industry. Posted: 02/03/2010 Read more » Standard's Tyler elected to Iowa hall of fame A former superintendent, Steve Tyler also served as president of the Iowa GCSA and Iowa Turfgrass Institute. Posted: 02/03/2010 Read more » December rounds crash under cold temps Participation was down nearly 15 percent nationwide thanks in part to frigid temperatures in the South. Posted: 02/03/2010 Read more » News and people briefs Ohio event offers two days of education, Golf Ventures West heads east, IFH moves into powder coating market Posted: 02/03/2010 Read more » Say 'thank you' to your tech Repay your equipment manager by nominating him or her for TurfNet's Technician of the Year, Presented by The Toro Co. Posted: 02/02/2010 Read more » Complete news index »
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