Use of herbicides on turfgrass

In crop production, weeds must be controlled so as not to adversely affect crop yield and crop quality. Thus, a low level of weeds infesting a field, in most instances, is not a problem. Except in sod or seed production, turfgrass does not have a yield component. The value of turfgrass is its inherent aesthetic quality and usability. Aesthetic quality is the beauty and value that turfgrass adds to a managed landscape. Usability can be the durability of a sport field, trueness of golf putting green roll, or reduction in soil loss from water runoff or wind. Any weed presence in turfgrass can decrease the aesthetic quality and usability of turfgrass. Utilizing herbicides is the only way to completely control weeds in a turfgrass stand. While it is possible to reduce weed populations using cultural or mechanical management practices, it is impossible to completely eliminate weeds as can be accomplished with herbicides. This manuscript will review the major herbicides used in turfgrass in the United States with respect to their modes of action, herbicide family, and primary use in turfgrass.

Growth inhibitors in turfgrass

Well-maintained lawns are comfortable and safe places for leisure activities and sports practice, and they also bring environmental benefits; for example, they reduce soil exposure to erosion and releases atmospheric CO2, thus reducing the greenhouse effect. However, regardless of the purpose of use or the choice of the plant species to form the lawn, the highest costs involve cutting that is needed to keep the turfgrass at its appropriate height. Successive lawn cutting operations are necessary basically because of the vegetative and reproductive growth of turfgrass which, in Brazil, occurs mainly from October to March. Expenditures with successive mechanical cuttings have fostered the search of alternative procedures to keep lawn plants at appropriate height, such as the use of plant growth inhibitors, an increasingly interesting procedure. Since the use of this technology in Brazil is still at its early stage, the aim of this literature review is to examine aspects associated with lawn management by using growth inhibitors. Another alternative is to increase the knowledge of the classification and rational application of the different compounds currently available in the market.

Use of herbicides on turfgrass

Nas culturas agrícolas as plantas daninhas devem ser controladas de modo a não afetar negativamente o rendimento e a qualidade do produto colhido. Deste modo, quantidades pequenas de plantas daninhas em um campo, na maioria dos casos, não é um problema, exceto na produção de sementes. Ressalta-se que em gramados não existe um componente de produção a se colhido. O valor do gramado é a sua qualidade inerente a estética e usabilidade. Qualidade estética é a beleza e o valor que acrescenta ao gramado em uma paisagem gerenciada. Usabilidade pode ser a durabilidade de um campo de esporte ou a redução na perda de solo pela erosão da água ou do vento. A presença de qualquer planta daninha em gramados pode diminuir a qualidade estética e usabilidade do gramado. Enquanto for possível reduzir a população de plantas daninhas utilizando práticas culturais ou mecânicas, não se poderá eliminá-las completamente. A utilização de herbicidas é a única maneira de controlar completamente as plantas daninhas em áreas de gramados. Esta revisão irá rever os principais herbicidas utilizados em gramados nos Estados Unidos com relação a seus modos de ação, a família de herbicidas e uso primário no gramado.

Nebraska Turfgrass Conference

I’m delighted to be here with you, and look forward to visiting with as many of you as possible both today and in the future. I’ve just completed one year in my job as University of Nebraska Vice President of agriculture and natural resources and Harlan Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and it has been a learning year for me. As I start this second year, I look forward to learning even more about Nebraska and its citizens, and one of the ways to best do this is to hear what you are thinking. I want to know what you consider Nebraska’s greatest needs, now and in the future. I want to know how you think the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources can help meet those needs. I seek ways all of us working together, can find efficient and effective solutions to Nebraska’s concerns, and I want to know your interests in our work – what you think we do well, what you think we could do better, what you think the needs of the future will be.

Relationship of Turfgrass Growth and Quality to Soil Nitrate Desorbed from Anion Exchange Membranes

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are a potential method for determining the plant available N status of soils; however, their capacity for use with turfgrass has not been researched extensively. The main objective of this experiment was to determine the relationship between soil nitrate desorbed from AEMs and growth response and quality of turfgrass managed as a residential lawn. Two field experiments were conducted with a bluegrass-ryegrass-fescue mixture receiving four rates of N fertilizer (0, 98, 196, and 392 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)) with clippings returned or removed. The soils at the two sites were a Paxton fine sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Dystrudepts) and a variant of a Hinckley gravelly sandy loam (sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Udorthents). Anion exchange membranes were inserted into plots and exchanged weekly during the growing seasons of 1998 and 1999. Nitrate-N was desorbed from AEMs and quantified. As N fertilization rates increased, desorbed NO3-N increased. The relationship of desorbed NO3-N from AEMs to clipping yield and turfgrass quality was characterized using quadratic response plateau (QRP) and Cate-Nelson models (C-Ns). Critical levels of desorbed NO3-N ranged from 0.86 to 8.0 microgram cm(-2) d(-1) for relative dry matter yield (DMY) and from 2.3 to 12 microgram cm(-2) d(-1) for turfgrass quality depending upon experimental treatment. Anion exchange membranes show promise of indicating the critical levels of soil NO3-N desorbed from AEMs necessary to achieve maximum turfgrass quality and yield without overapplication of N.

Clipping Management and Nitrogen Fertilization of Turfgrass: Growth, Nitrogen Utilization, and Quality

The effect of returning grass clippings on turfgrass growth and quality has not been thoroughly examined. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of returning grass clippings in combination with varying N rates on growth, N utilization, and quality of turfgrass managed as a residential lawn. Two field experiments using a cool-season turfgrass mixture were arranged as a 2 x 4 factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Treatments included two clipping management practices (returned or removed) and four N rates (equivalent to 0, 98, 196, and 392 kg N ha(-1)). Soils at the two sites were a Paxton fine sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Dystrudepts) and a variant of a Hinckley gravelly sandy loam (sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Udorthents). Returning clippings was found to increase clipping dry matter yields (DMYs) from 30 to 72%, total N uptake (NUP) from 48 to 60%, N recovery by 62%, and N use efficiency (NUE) from 52 to 71%. Returning grass clippings did not decrease turfgrass quality, and improved it in some plots. We found that N fertilization rates could be reduced 50% or more without decreasing turfgrass quality when clippings were returned. Overall, returning grass clippings was found to improve growth and quality of turfgrass while reducing N fertilization needs.

Cool-season turfgrass color and growth calibrated to leaf nitrogen

Tissue N analysis a tool available for N management of turfgrass. However, peer-reviewed calibration studies to determine optimum tissue N values are lacking. A field experiment with a mixed cool-season species lawn and a greenhouse experiment with Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) were conducted across 2 yr, each with randomized complete block design. Treatments were N application rates between 0 and 587 kg N ha-1 yr-1. In the field experiment, clipping samples were taken monthly from May to September, dried, ground, and analyzed for total N. Clippings samples were collected one to two mowings after plots were fertilized. Linear plateau models comparing relative clipping yield, Commission Internationale de l' Eclairage hue, and CM1000 index to leaf N concentrations were developed. In the greenhouse experiment, clipping samples were taken every 2 wk from May to October and composited across sample dates for leaf N analysis. Color and clipping yields were related to leaf N concentrations using linear plateau models. These models indicated small marginal improvements in growth or color when leaf N exceeded 30 g kg-1, suggesting that a leaf N test can separate turf with optimum leaf N concentrations from turf with below optimum leaf N concentrations. Plateaus in leaf N concentrations with increasing N fertilizer rates suggest, however, that this test may be unable to identify sites with excess available soil N when turf has been mowed before tissue sampling.

Fall Fertilization Timing Effects on Nitrate Leaching and Turfgrass Color and Growth

Fall season fertilization is a widely recommended practice for turfgrass. Fertilizer applied in the fall, however, may be subject to substantial leaching losses. A field study was conducted in Connecticut to determine the timing effects of fall fertilization on nitrate N (NO3-N) leaching, turf color, shoot density, and root mass of a 90% Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), 10% creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) lawn. Treatments consisted of the date of fall fertilization: 15 September, 15 October, 15 November, 15 December, or control which received no fall fertilizer. Percolate water was collected weekly with soil monolith lysimeters. Mean log10 NO3-N concentrations in percolate were higher for fall fertilized treatments than for the control. Mean NO3-N mass collected in percolate water was linearly related to the date of fertilizer application, with higher NO3-N loss for later application dates. Applying fall fertilizer improved turf color and density but there were no differences in color or density among applications made between 15 October and 15 December. These findings suggest that the current recommendation of applying N in mid- to late November in southern New England may not be compatible with water quality goals.

Anion exchange membrane soil nitrate predicts turfgrass color and yield.

Desirable nitrogen (N) management practices for turfgrass supply sufficient N for high quality turf while limiting excess soil N. Previous studies suggested the potential of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for predicting turfgrass color, quality, or yield. However, these studies suggested a wide range of critical soil nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) values across sample dates. A field experiment, in randomized complete block design with treatments consisting of nine N application rates, was conducted on a mixed species cool-season turfgrass lawn across two growing seasons. Every 2 wk from May to October, turfgrass color was assessed with three different reflectance meters, and soil NO3-N was measured with in situ AEMs. Cate-Nelson models were developed comparing relative reflectance value and yield to AEM desorbed soil NO3-N pooled across all sample dates. These models predicted critical AEM soil NO3-N values from 0. 45 to 1.4 micro g cm-2 d-1. Turf had a low probability of further positive response to AEM soil NO3-N greater than these critical values. These results suggest that soil NO3-N critical values from AEMs may be applicable across sample dates and years and may serve to guide N fertilization to limit excess soil NO3-N.

Estimating hourly net radiation for leaf wetness duration using the Penman-Monteith equation

Leaf wetness duration (LWD) is related to plant disease occurrence and is therefore a key parameter in agrometeorology. As LWD is seldom measured at standard weather stations, it must be estimated in order to ensure the effectiveness of warning systems and the scheduling of chemical disease control. Among the models used to estimate LWD, those that use physical principles of dew formation and dew and/or rain evaporation have shown good portability and sufficiently accurate results for operational use. However, the requirement of net radiation (Rn) is a disadvantage foroperational physical models, since this variable is usually not measured over crops or even at standard weather stations. With the objective of proposing a solution for this problem, this study has evaluated the ability of four models to estimate hourly Rn and their impact on LWD estimates using a Penman-Monteith approach. A field experiment was carried out in Elora, Ontario, Canada, with measurements of LWD, Rn and other meteorological variables over mowed turfgrass for a 58 day period during the growing season of 2003. Four models for estimating hourly Rn based on different combinations of incoming solar radiation (Rg), airtemperature (T), relative humidity (RH), cloud cover (CC) and cloud height (CH), were evaluated. Measured and estimated hourly Rn values were applied in a Penman-Monteith model to estimate LWD. Correlating measured and estimated Rn, we observed that all models performed well in terms of estimating hourly Rn. However, when cloud data were used the models overestimated positive Rn and underestimated negative Rn. When only Rg and T were used to estimate hourly Rn, the model underestimated positive Rn and no tendency was observed for negative Rn. The best performance was obtained with Model I, which presented, in general, the smallest mean absolute error (MAE) and the highest C-index. When measured LWD was compared to the Penman-Monteith LWD, calculated with measured and estimated Rn, few differences were observed. Both precision and accuracy were high, with the slopes of the relationships ranging from 0.96 to 1.02 and R-2 from 0.85 to 0.92, resulting in C-indices between 0.87 and 0.93. The LWD mean absolute errors associated with Rn estimates were between 1.0 and 1.5h, which is sufficient for use in plant disease management schemes.

Spatial heterogeneity of leaf wetness duration in apple trees and its influence on performance of a warning system for sooty blotch and flyspeck

To determine the effect of sensor placement on the performance of a disease-warning system for sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS), we measured leaf wetness duration (LWD) at 12 canopy positions in apple trees, then simulated operation of the disease-warning system using LWD measurements from different parts of the canopy. LWD sensors were placed in four trees within one Iowa orchard during two growing seasons, and in one tree in each of four orchards during a single growing season. The LWD measurements revealed substantial heterogeneity among sensor locations. In all data sets, the upper, eastern portion of the canopy had the longest mean daily LWD, and was the first site to form dew and the last to dry. The lower, western portion of the canopy averaged about 3 It less LWD per day than the top of the canopy, and was the last zone where dew formed and the first to dry off. On about 25% of nights when dew occurred in the top of the canopy, no dew formed in the lower, western canopy. Intracanopy variability of LWD was more pronounced when dew was the sole source of wetness than on days when rainfall occurred. Daily LWD in the upper, eastern portion of the canopy was slightly less than reference measurements made at a 0.7-m height over turfgrass located near the orchard. When LWD measurements from several canopy positions were input to the SBFS warning system, timing of occurrence of a fungicide-spray threshold varied by as much as 30 days among canopy positions. Under Iowa conditions, placement of an LWD sensor at an unobstructed site over turfgrass was a fairly accurate surrogate for the wettest part of the canopy. Therefore, such an extra-canopy LWD sensor might be substituted for a within-canopy sensor to enhance operational reliability of the SBFS warning system.

Spatial variability of leaf wetness duration in a 'Niagara Rosada' vineyard

Despite considerable efforts to develop accurate electronic sensors to measure leaf wetness duration (LWD), little attention has been given to studies about how is LWD variability in different positions of the crop canopy. In order to evaluate the influence of 'Niagara Rosada' (Vitis labrusca) grapevine structure on the spatial variability of LWD, the objective of this study was to determine the canopy position of the ‘Niagara Rosada’ table grape with longer LWD and its correlation with measured standard LWD over turfgrass. LWD was measured in four different canopy positions of the vineyard (sensors deployed at 45º with the horizontal): at the top of the plants, with sensors facing southwest and northeast (Top-SW and Top-NE), and at the grape bunches height, with sensors facing southwest and northeast (Bottom-SW and Bottom-NE). No significant difference was observed between the top (1.6 m) and the bottom (1.0 m) of the canopy and also between the southwest and northeast face of the plants. The relationship between standard LWD over turfgrass and crop LWD in different positions of the grape canopy showed a define correlation, with R² ranging from 0.86 to 0.89 for all period, from 0.72 to 0.77 for days without rain, and from 0.89 to 0.91 for days with rain.

Effect of plant regulators on growth and flowering of 'Meyer' zoysiagrass

This trial aimed to evaluate the effect of sequential applications of different plant regulators over growth and flower rachis emission of 'Meyer' zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica). The study was conducted on 15-month old green turfgrass under a randomized complete block design with four replications. The following plant regulator and doses were tested: trinexapac-ethyl (113+113, 226+113, 226+226, 452+113, 452+226, 452+452, 678+339 e 904+452 g a.i./ha-1), prohexadione-calcium (100+100 e 200+200 g a.i. ha-1) and bispyribac-sodium (40+40 e 60+60 g a.i. ha-1), as well as an untreated control. The turfgrass was mowed again at 3.0 cm aboveground and the second plant regulator was applied when 'Meyer' zoysiagrass was between 5.0 and 6.0 cm high. The effect of the treatments was visually rated for visual injury, plant height, height and number of flower rachis, and total dry mass production of clippings. Only bispyribac-sodium had visual symptoms of injury on 'Meyer' zoysiagrass, and no intoxication was observed at 28 days after the second application (DAAB). The sequential applications of trinexapac-ethyl, prohexadione-calcium and bispyribac-sodium reduced by more than 80% the total clipping dry mass produced by 'Meyer' zoysiagrass. All the plant regulators tested also showed promising results in reducing the height and emission of rachis, especially when trinexapac-ethyl was applied at the doses 452+452, 678+339 and 904+452 g a.i. ha-1. 'Meyer' zoysiagrass turfgrass can be handled with the sequential application of a plant regulator, which reduces the need for mowing over a period up to 110 days after the application of the second plant regulator, and it also avoids deleterious visual effects over turfgrass.

Potentiel du spinosad et de Beauveria bassiana comme agents de lutte contre le ver gris (Agrotis ipsilon)

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Doses de nitrogênio e potássio na produção de grama esmeralda

O nitrogênio e potássio são os nutrientes requeridos em maiores quantidades pelas gramas e no Brasil não se tem informação da quantidade a ser aplicada para se obter a formação de tapete em menor tempo possível. Dois experimentos foram instalados em vasos em casa de vegetação, com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de doses de nitrogênio e de potássio na produção de tapetes de grama esmeralda (Zoysia japonica). O delineamento utilizado para cada experimento foi fatorial com doses de N ou K e épocas de avaliação. Foram aplicadas quatro doses de nitrogênio (0, 200, 400 e 600 kg ha-1) e quatro doses de potássio (0, 100, 200, e 300 kg ha-1). As doses de nitrogênio e potássio foram aplicadas parceladamente em cobertura. O aumento das doses de N influenciou a taxa de cobertura do solo pela grama (TCS) permitindo a formação do tapete com a dose de 408 kg ha-1 de N aos 198 dias após a colheita do tapete anterior, tempo menor quando comparado com as demais doses. A concentração de N na folha e da cor verde da grama foram influenciadas pelas doses de N podendo ser utilizadas para auxiliar na recomendação das doses de N. O aumento das doses de K não influenciou na TCS pela grama, sendo o teor no solo (1,4 mmol c dm-3) suficiente para a produção dos tapetes de grama esmeralda.