Conference Season is Here!

This article comes to us from Ty McClellan, USGA Green Section Record Mid-Continent Region Agronomist.

Frost has arrived, evoking a collective sigh of relief from turf managers and cool-season turfgrasses alike. For most, cool weather (and even snowfall) has been but a dream since early July when Mother Nature began punishing cool-season turfgrasses throughout the Mid-Continent Region, and much of the country for that matter.

As a grueling year comes to a close, conference season moves into full swing and all indications are that meetings will be well attended. Recently, the Central Illinois GCSA enjoyed an audience larger than in recent years at their Annual Education Seminar. The demands brought forth by Mother Nature this summer didn’t allow superintendents much, if any, time away from the golf course. Poor attendance at golf course superintendent chapter meetings resulted, but this should change now with the opportunity to gather for education and camaraderie at a time of year when golf courses are on the mend.

Appropriately, many of the conferences this winter will feature education targeted towards summer survival strategies for cool-season turfgrasses. Given the recent environmental challenges, combined with persisting economic limitations, it would be well worth inviting a course official to attend a conference with you.

To learn more about conferences in your area, contact your local superintendent association or USGA Green Section office. Upcoming conferences for the upper Mid-Continent Region are as follows:

2011 Conferences

January 10-12
Nebraska Green Expo
Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, IA
Visit http://www.nebraskaturfgrass.com/conference.htm

January 18-20
Iowa Turfgrass Conference & Trade Show
Polk County Convention Complex & Marriott Hotel, Des Moines, IA
Visit http://www.iowaturfgrass.org/

February 7-11
GCSAA Education Conference & Golf Industry Show
USGA Green Section Education Program: “Lessons Learned Come in All Forms”—Feb. 11, 10:00 am - Noon
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL
Visit http://www.gcsaa.org/conference/ and http://www.golfindustryshow.com/

February 22-23
Gateway Green Industry Conference & Trade Show
Gateway Convention Center, Collinsville, Illinois
Visit http://www.hortco-op.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/calendar.detail/event_id/184/index.htm

If you would like more information about a Turf Advisory Service visit, contact either of the Mid-Continent regional offices: Ty McClellan at tmcclellan@usga.org or (630) 340-5853 or Bud White at budwhite@usga.org or (972) 662-1138.

CHRISTMAS CARD FROM IOWA STATE.

The president of Iowa State sent out an electronic Christmas card this year that is really exceptional. I thought that you might enjoy it. You can see it at the following site.

Dec. 8, 2010

To Iowa State faculty and staff:

Kathy and I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season. In that spirit, we invite you and members of the Iowa State University extended family to click here to bring song and light to Lake LaVerne.

Greg Geoffroy
President

Help NTEP with a new Kentucky Bluegrass Trial

The National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) is a non-profit organization that conducts research on the major turfgrass species. NTEP cooperates with state Universities across the U.S. to establish and maintain these trials. A number of testing sites are utilized in order to provide turfgrass managers with data specific to their region or state. We have a couple of NTEP trials at the Iowa State Turfgrass Research Station and if you have ever attended a Turfgrass Field Day you are sure to have seen NTEP research during your visit.

Many of you have probably heard of NTEP before and possibly even used their data. The NTEP trials record information such as turfgrass quality, color, density, resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance to heat, cold, drought, and traffic. I remember John Newton and myself using NTEP data to select cultivars of creeping bentgrass during the renovation process at Veenker Memorial Golf Course. We were interested in choosing cultivars that had dark green color and had good resistance to dollar spot.

Currently, NTEP is planning to initiate a new Kentucky bluegrass trial during the fall of 2011. They are seeking input from industry professionals on the direction of the study. Specifically, they are looking for input on the types of evaluations they should conduct, and the traits that you desire in Kentucky bluegrass cultivars.

You can provide your opinions for this new trial by conducting a short survey (only 8 questions) on the NTEP website. A direct link to the survey can be accessed by clicking here.

Marcus Jones
Graduate Research Assistant

What are you Thankful For?

During this time of year when people traditionally give thanks, my wife and I were blessed with the arrival of our first child. Gianna Brielle Jones was born at 2:43 a.m. on Friday, November 19. Gia weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long.

Nicol and I want to thank everyone who has stopped by to visit or has contacted us with congratulations. It was definitely a special Thankgiving. Below are some pictures of Gia during her first few days at home.


Here's Gia enjoying her playmat.

Here's Gia and Dad enjoying a quick nap together.




Gia and Dad enjoying story time..."Let me read you a story called the one-third rule"

















Marcus Jones
Graduate Research Assistant

FLOOD DAMAGE RECOVERY-END OF SEASON

Nick Christians
November 22, 2010

This is a final summary on the recovery of the intramural field on campus that was damaged during the flood in August.

The first picture was taken a few days after the flood. The bluegrass/rye turf is dead. The grasses that survived are all warm-season grasses. Most of it is Bermudagrass, but there is also Zoysiagrass and Buffalograss on the site. This grass was established over the steam tunnel several years ago.






The second picture shows Kentucky bluegrass beginning to recover from rhizomes. It was taken a couple of weeks after the flood waters receded.


The third picture shows one of the turf lab groups on the site in September. They are standing on the warm-season grasses. The surrounding area was reseeded shortly after the flood and the blue/rye area has nearly recovered.




The final picture was taken in November of 2010. The blue/rye area has completely recovered and the warm-season grasses have gone dormant for the season. Little by little, the campus is returning to normal. The final bill for the flood damage was in the range of 50 million dollars.

Enjoy the Fall Colors

Last week the state received some much needed precipitation. Rainfall in October was well below normal. A period of dry weather began on September 26 for many parts of the state and continued through October 22. During this time period the average statewide precipitation was 0.04 inches compared to a normal for the period of 2.24 inches. Ames received a measly 0.62 inches of rain during October which ended up ranking as the 15th driest among 138 years of records. This is in stark contrast to October 2009 when Ames received 7.86 inches of rainfall.

October 2010 temperatures were above normal and overall much greater than temperatures during this time from one year ago. The warmest day was the 8th of October when we hit a whopping 86 degrees.  The extended fall weather provided an opportunity for turf to recover from the summer stresses. Hopefully, the majority of the readership also experienced good growing conditions. The temperatures have cooled significantly in November and some parts of the state have already received their first snow cover.

Everywhere you look outside there is more and more evidence that the season will soon be over. I have been enjoying the beautiful fall colors the last couple of weeks. For a turf guy, the fall colors I’m referring to are the reddish-browns, blues, and purples found on established creeping bentgrass putting greens. This phenomenon is evident during cool/frosty temperatures in the spring and fall. These colors tend to appear in patches and are a response to physiological changes occurring in the plant. So why does the bentgrass change color?



Often during the spring and fall the daytime temperatures are relatively warm while nighttime lows can dip below freezing. During the warm, sunny days the plant leaves and stems are able to manufacture large amounts of sugar through photosynthesis. These sugars are normally translocated to the crown of the plant during the night for storage and for use in other plant processes. But, when nighttime temperatures get too cold for the sugars to be properly translocated they end up getting “stuck” in the leaves and stems. This accumulation of sugars appears as shades of red, purple, and blue colors.

I’ll leave you with a couple late fall pictures.

With the cool temperatures and lack of rainfall, the only disease I have spotted the last couple of weeks has been yellow tuft.

A common sight at many golf courses as they prepare for freezing temperatures.

Turf covered in frost greets us most mornings now. Soon the turf will be covered in snow.


Marcus Jones
Graduate Research Assistant

BASF launches free Turfgrass Disease App

BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals is pleased to introduce a free Web application that gives U.S. golf course Superintendents quick, expert advice on turfgrass disease control programs via their mobile phone browsers. To use the tool simply visit the BASFTurfTalk.com blog or directly link to BASFTurfDiseaseControl.com on a mobile device, such as the iPhone®, Android® and Blackberry®, or desktop browser.

The tool gives Superintendents immediate access to disease control program recommendations specific to Northeast, Midwest, Transition and Southern regions and turf types. In addition to helping Superintendents control known diseases, it also helps them predict diseases based on the time of year or, in the case of the Southern region, based on soil temperature. The tool then recommends fungicide applications, timing and rates from Kyle Miller and Kathie Kalmowitz, Ph.D., the BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals Technical Specialists who developed the disease programs.

“With a workspace averaging more than 140 acres, golf course Superintendents spend more time away from their desks than other professionals; yet their need for immediate, reliable information is just as pressing,” said Brian Lish, Business Manager, BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals. “This new tool gets our expertise to customers when and where they need it to help them succeed.”

To view the tool’s functionality, watch the video demonstration and visit www.basfturftalk.com for detailed information and helpful instructions on using and bookmarking the Web app from your mobile device or desktop.

For more information about BASF Turf & Ornamentals, visit www.betterturf.basf.us or tweet us at twitter.com/basfturf_us.