Research Update: Effects of Alternatives to Traditional Fungicides and Winter Fertilization Practices on Microdochium Patch
Clint Mattox, Alec Kowalewski, and Brian McDonald Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University
Introduction: Microdochium patch can be observed year-around in some cool, humid regions, and damages nearly all grass species in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Microdochium patch is a major disease on golf course putting greens from September through May, and under favorable conditions, can injure or kill significant amounts of turf which greatly disrupts the aesthetics and playability of the putting green surface. Historically, more money has been spent on fungicides to combat this disease in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest than any other turfgrass disease. Currently, fungicides applied every 3 to 4 weeks to putting greens throughout the 9 month period of disease activity are the primary means for providing control of this pathogen, which equates to roughly $20,000 annually per golf course.
The turgrass research funding year begins with our annual conference and trade show. At that time, we typically see an influx of dollars through contributions from allied organizations like the BC Golf Superintendents Association and Kwantlen University Turf Club along with revenues generated from our Silent Auction and other fundraisers.
The 2014 Masters Tournament is the 78th edition of this event and the first of golf’s four major championships to be held this year. Currently, there are more than 18,300 golf courses in the U.S. covering over 2.7 million acres and popular opinion suggests that environmentally, golf courses have a negative impact on ecosystems. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are studying salamanders as a means of determining ecosystem health on golf courses and have determined that they can offer a viable habitat.
By Anna Wassermann