FROM PERU TO NCSU:
THE JOURNEY OF Dr.
Susana Milla-Lewis
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ON ALERT
California’s ban on gasoline engines up to 25 hp by 2024 should put every state that offers lawn care services of any kind on alert. This legislative move is going to be very harmful to the financial health of many LCO’s in that state. They are offering some subsidy money but from what I have read, many say it will fall short.
The Turfgrass Council of North Carolina values the health of our environment and encourages manufacturers to find alternative ways to reduce harmful emissions wherever possible. However, this is a very expensive and potentially crippling change for many LCO’s and I feel there should have been a better compromise for all.
Buying new electric mowers and blowers is not an inexpensive venture. Not to mention the logistics needed for this new equipment. Electric lawn care tools have come a long way and appear to be improving. However, there are still hurdles to overcome to remain profitable when converting to all electric.
I am not going to go into the details of the legislative move since it is easy to find details online. However, this is a strong reminder as to why we need to stay informed and involved with decisions North Carolina government and local legislators are making that can affect the way our industry operates.
One way to do this is to continue supporting your professional associations. One of the benefits of being a member of TCNC is you also become a member of the Green Industry Council (GIC). GIC is the governing association legislative body for our industry. You can only be a member of GIC through a supporting association like TCNC.
The Green Industry Council, along with our industry's lobbyist, Dick Carlton, keep a close eye on any legislation moving through that could have an impact on our industry and livelihoods.
Kevin Herrmann
TCNC
President
The Turfgrass Council of North Carolina (TCNC) serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, North Carolina Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or TCNC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this bimonthly publication. Copyright © 2022 by the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina. North Carolina Turfgrass is published bi-monthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of TCNC. Presorted standard postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: North Carolina Turfgrass allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to TCNC. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Suite 200, Franklin, TN 37064, 615.790.3718, Fax 615.794.4524.
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Matt Martin Extension Associate, Turfgrass 910.675.2314 matthew_martin@ncsu.edu
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From PERU to NCSU: The Journey of DR. SUSANA MILLA-LEWIS
By Cecilia Brown
Dr.
Susana Milla-Lewis, a professor and university faculty scholar of turfgrass breeding at North Carolina State University (NCSU) has a very impressive and interesting life story. Born and raised in Lima, the capital of Peru, she now runs one of the best up-and-coming turfgrass programs in the nation.
Her attention to nature and green space started at a young age and has only grown. Milla-Lewis remembers as a kid, Lima was a big city where it didn’t rain very often. “So, it’s kind of gray and the only places where you have great green spaces are in public parks. It’s not like North Carolina where everything is green,” she said.
Moving to the United States was in the cards for Milla-Lewis for some time. Her two older brothers had both moved to the U.S. for graduate school. Her oldest brother, Carlos, is an MD Ph.D. currently at Stanford. Her second brother, Marcos, who she says has always had a huge influence on her life, is a biochemist. “They both came to the U.S. pursuing higher education so I kind of had that model to follow.”
She recalls being 12 years old when Marcos left Peru to get his Ph.D. and deciding she wanted to go to the U.S. too, to get Master’s and Ph.D. degrees. With this goal in mind, she finished her undergraduate degree in four years rather than the normal five years it takes in Peru. After graduation, she did a research internship at the International Potato Center, a world organization that has research centers distributed around the world. “I knew if I did an internship there that those references were going to weigh more towards my graduate applications,” she explained.
After that, she applied to get into the master’s program at NC State and was accepted. It was officially her time to leave Peru. In 1996, she packed her entire life into two suitcases to move to the United States. She packed her most meaningful trinkets and even the rug from her bedroom into those two bags. “Don’t ask me how I fit it into my suitcase but I did,” she laughed.
She remembers the farewell from her family at the airport being very sad. As she passed through the security gate crying, she thought to herself that she couldn’t mope around because leaving for the U.S. to get her graduate degree was a long-held dream. So, although she was sad to leave her family she made herself focus on the great opportunities that lay ahead for her at NC State.
“I’m not gonna lie. I missed my family, my friends, the food and so many things, but this was the dream that I had pursued and that was coming true. I made a mental promise with myself that I was going to push forward,” she said.
New to the Wolfpack
Upon arriving at NCSU, she started to pursue her Master’s Degree in Tobacco Breeding and graduated in 1998. Then in 2003, she earned her Ph.D. in Peanut Breeding from NCSU. Milla-Lewis worked in this field for about five years before delving into building a new turfgrass breeding program at NCSU.
When NC State opened a position in turfgrass breeding in 2008, they were looking for someone who could build a program from the ground up. “Initially I looked at it and said I don’t really know anything about turfgrass.” But the chair of the search committee for this role encouraged Milla-Lewis to apply given her vast knowledge and experience in breeding and molecular work, explaining she could just apply that to a new species.
At the time she applied, her husband, Dr. Ramsey Lewis, was an assistant professor at NC State. They began having conversations about what it’d be like for them both to be assistant professors if she got the job. Milla-Lewis said not only did she have to consider the tenure process she’d have to undergo as a new professor, but her daughter was also only a year and a half old at the time. She and her husband spent some time debating how they would manage family life while both working at the university and decided they should go for it.
But, Milla-Lewis said she still didn’t know much about turfgrass so she started doing her homework. “I spent two months talking to anybody who would talk to me. I talked to a lot of turf faculty, called industry breeders out west, went to visit sod farms, and I drove out east to meet with our extension specialist there. My main goal was to try to learn more about the turfgrass industry but also to find out the niches or needs that weren’t being met and find where a breeding program could fit in the big scheme of things. I really did my homework, and I got the job and the rest is history,” she said.
Milla-Lewis started in the program as the Assistant Professor in Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics. Now, she and Ramsey have two daughters, Sienna who is 14 and Adrianna who is 10.
Dr. Susana Milla-Lewis with her husband Ramsey Lewis and their daughters Sienna and Adrianna in May 2021.
Turfgrass Career
Milla-Lewis had worked in tobacco and peanut breeding programs where the focus was just one species. When she went to work in turfgrass. “I remember early on one of my grad students joked that most of the breeders on campus were doctors, but I was a vet because I’d worked with all of these different species.”
She said she loves working with multiple turfgrass species as there is never a dull moment, they are always working on something new. Since they work with warm and cool-season grasses, her program stays busy year-round. One day they’re seeding a new trial and the next they’re putting grass to sleep and there is always something going on at the greenhouse or in growth chambers.
“I love that. It’s very fun that you can come up with all these different projects in a variety of species. You don’t have to think too hard about what you want to research – there’s always something.”
Milla-Lewis describes her research as trying to develop varieties of grasses that are better adapted to specific conditions in North Carolina. “We look at hundreds of new grasses, throw as many environmental stresses as possible at them, and then select those that survive better. Ultimately, the goal is to develop grasses that perform better with lower inputs so that they are easier and cheaper to grow for both producers and consumers.”
Her position at NC State is 85% research and 15% teaching. She teaches the undergraduate Plant Genetics course every spring, which is designed primarily for agronomy and horticultural science students. She leads the breeding program while teaching this course, and for the remainder of the year she is only focused on research.
The busiest time of the year is typically as the spring semester ends and Milla-Lewis has to determine what research trials they’re going to plant. “Planting season is crazy busy, but it is the most exciting time of the year. You get to put new grasses on the ground and see how they perform. The excitement of identifying a new promising line or seeing one of your favorite lines outperforming standard cultivars is hard to describe.”
Milla-Lewis said in a given week she could spend one day in her office, the next attending a seminar about research ethics, the following in the mountains planting roadside trials and the next in a meeting with other plant breeders. She thrives over the fact that no two days are the same in her role at NCSU. “The day-to-day of a breeding program is varied depending on what month it is. We go from the field, to the greenhouse, to lab work, to data analysis. Plant breeding encompasses many different aspects. When I recruit students or talk to people about plant breeding, I tell them that variety is what I love the most about my job.”
Milla-Lewis (left) at the 2014 NCSU Field Day.
Seeding NCSU’s first fescue nursery at Sandhills in October 2009.
Sienna, Adrianna, and four-legged daughter Nilla helping harvest centipedegrass plots at the Lake Wheeler Turfgrass Field Lab.
LEFT: COVID-induced turfgrass breeding summer camps. Daughter Sienna planting at Laurel Springs.
RIGHT: Daughter Adrianna collecting data at the Lake Wheeler Turfgrass Field Lab nurseries.
Overcoming Cancer
Nearly eight years ago, in her third year at the turfgrass program, Milla-Lewis was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now in remission and taking on her life to the utmost and fullest, she shared what that experience was like.
“Everything is good now but a cancer diagnosis is not something you leave behind, you live with that for the rest of your life because you’re always thinking it could come back,” she said.
Milla-Lewis explained cancer taught her that she will never know what is going to happen next, but she can reflect on the fact she’s fortunate to have had the last seven and a half years. “When I was diagnosed, my youngest daughter was a year and a half old and it was really hard to think that she might not get to know her mom. And that’s one of the things I always think about now. I have had the last seven and a half years with her and she knows me. No matter what, she knows me and that’s good. I’m very thankful for that.”
She recalled when she was first diagnosed and realized how bad the cancer was, the nurse started explaining all of her appointments she’d need to schedule, from scans to getting a port put in, etc. Milla-Lewis reached in her purse for her cell phone and said let me check my calendar. But the nurse took her phone away and told her nothing else mattered anymore. “I had an epiphany. That moment has given me more perspective in life than you would ever imagine. I used to be a panicky person running from one thing to another and I learned at that moment that nothing is that important. Anytime I panic about missing something nowadays, I say, ‘you know what? It’s okay. The world will continue turning if you cannot go or if you have to reschedule or if you miss something. It’s okay.’”
Environmental Stewardship
Over the past few years, one of the things Milla-Lewis has witnessed change is the environmental stewardship associated with turfgrasses. When she started interviewing and learning about the industry more in 2008, she realized this for the first time. She drove around Raleigh through subdivisions and observed what grass species were in different yards and observed a lot of
cool-season grasses, primarily tall fescue. But as she started in the program and began researching warm-season grasses, several people questioned what exactly she was thinking. Her explanation was that weather and climates are changing dramatically.
above is a graph Milla-Lewis regularly shares in presentations. It shows the estimated number of days in a year that will exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In summary, the chart shows that leading up to 2080, nearly 120 days of the year will be over 90 degrees.
“So, if the temperatures are changing, it’s going to be hotter and it’s going to be drier, then we need to be more conscious about what grasses we promote for specific areas. For example, for big cities in central North Carolina, warm-season grasses, with their lower water requirements, will be a more environmentally conscious choice.”
While there will always be a group of people that want a highly manicured lawn, she said more of the market has become content with a lawn that looks good but doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect because they want fewer inputs and less maintenance. She thinks that the market for a low-input lawn will continue to grow.
In the research realm, she’s working more on drought-tolerant varieties that require less water to stay alive. “Water is only going to become more scarce and is going to be a very sought-after commodity. So we as an industry need to start focusing more on grasses that use less water.”
New Cultivars and Collaborations
Milla-Lewis shared that although there already are many commercially available grasses on the market today, the environment keeps changing and we have to react to it. “Temperatures are going up, we’re having more droughts in different areas and we’re having more unstable winters with temperatures going up and down which kills grasses. Also, the customer is changing. The new generations are looking at property and lawns in new ways. Cities are growing and developing differently.”
She explained as the turfgrass industry adapts to new needs that are popping up, they have to develop turfgrasses that will better suit those needs.
Dr. Milla-Lewis at the 2013 NCSU Field Day during her battle with cancer.
Pictured
When it comes to collaborations, Milla-Lewis says she’s very proud to be a part of the warm-season turfgrass Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI), funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. The project includes the breeders at five different universities: herself at NC State, Kevin Kenworthy at the University of Florida, Brian Schwartz and Paul Raymer at The University of Georgia, Yanqi Wu at Oklahoma State University, and Ambika Chandra at Texas AgriLife System. The project aims to develop drought-tolerant turfgrass cultivars for the southern US by testing the best lines of each program across all these states.
Milla-Lewis explained since the initiative started in 2010, she’s been so impressed with the team approach to breeding droughttolerant turfgrasses. “Ultimately this concept where we all evaluate everybody else’s germplasm in multiple locations benefits the entire industry because we are testing materials across a wide range of environmental stresses. The top-performing lines are true champions that can thrive no matter what you throw at them. Furthermore, we might have more regional deployment or marketing for a grass, which can be really good.”
Lobo™ Zoysiagrass
After years of research and hard work, Milla-Lewis announced the name of NSCU’s new low-input, low-maintenance zoysiagrass release on Nov. 10 at the 2021 North Carolina Sod Producers Association Fall Field Day. She explained she’s known Lobo™ Zoysiagrass was a very special grass long before the official name release earlier this month.
resilient, I can’t wait to have 100 acres of it”, or Hank Kerfoot (Modern Turf) telling you ‘I love this grass, I’m going to put it in at my house’… That was really special.”
If she had to pick one word to describe Lobo Zoysiagrass, she would call it ‘adaptive’ because she said you can mold it into what you want it to be. Based on trials, if a homeowner doesn’t want to irrigate, mow it often or fertilize it, Lobo will retain color and aggressively cover the ground. Also, if a homeowner wants a beautiful lawn and puts maintenance into it, it will become dense and lush.
“It’s very adaptive. I think it’s going to cover different niches in the industry and that is really interesting,” Milla-Lewis shared.
Participating sod farms are steadily increasing the production of Lobo and limited amounts of this zoysiagrass will be available for purchase in the summer of 2022. To read more about Lobo, visit https://sodsolutionspro.com/lobo-zoysiagrass-released-bynorth-carolina-state-university/.
Taking Chance on Turf
encourages aspiring high schoolers that have a passion for outdoors or green space like she did to explore a career path in turfgrass because they might be pleasantly surprised. “Seek internships, seek experiences and seek people that work in the industry for advice and for just general information.”
There are many sectors, from golf, universities, sod farms, turfgrass outlets and more that students can look into if they’re interested in the industry.
“We were very excited about how aggressive this grass was from the get-go on roadside trials. But, when the USGA research came into play and we put it on the west coast in California and Arizona and it was retaining color really well, then we got way more excited,” she said. “When we started expanding it on sod farms, that was awesome. When you have experienced sod farmers like Chris Jones (Neuse River Turf) saying ‘This grass is so
“If you want to position yourself better to go after a career in this area, seek as much information as possible because a lot of time people realize years later they could have gone into something they were actually interested in. Look for that information and it’s not hard to find,” she concluded.
To learn more about Sod Solutions’ relationships with turfgrass breeders at land grant universities, download the Turfgrass Research: Year In Review.
Milla-Lewis
Milla- Lewis and team’s greenhouse party in February 2020.
Lobo ™ Zoysiagrass at the NCSPA Fall Field Day on Nov. 10, 2021.
Rochester,NY
Excalibur™
CompetingSurfactant
Firmness(TrueFirm)
THE 2021 INVASION OF THE FALL ARMYWORM IN THE U.S.
By Dr. J. Kevin Mathias – Retired Turfgrass Instructor and Advisor University of Maryland Institute of Applied Agriculture
In2021 unprecedented damage from the fall armyworm occurred in numerous areas of the U.S. including locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Many turfgrass managers struggled with the severity and the speed with which the damage occurred to their facilities or their clients’ lawns. The goal of this article is to provide information about the fall armyworm and what we might expect in 2022.
I have been involved in consulting work with a new sod producer in central Virginia over the past two years. I visited his facility on August 17, 2021 to inspect his fields and to discuss weed control options for the coming fall and spring months. During this visit, the tall fescue-Kentucky bluegrass fields were in good condition and showed no damage from any type of pest. However, I received a panicked phone call on Sunday, August 22 to ask if I could come by on Monday to take a look at a field that was turning brown.
During my inspection, there were large areas in one of the production fields that had severe brown patch damage. As I was showing the classic brown patch lesion to the owner, we also started to find small (1st to 3rd instar larvae) and very active caterpillars that were present in other areas of the field. I had never seen the fall armyworm caterpillar during my 38 years as an entomologist and instructor at UMD and I was at first taken aback as to what type of caterpillar we were looking at. I knew it was not a cutworm or sod webworm caterpillar and through
a process of elimination came up with an armyworm. Since the caterpillars were quite small, I was not able to identify it as the fall armyworm until I had an older specimen that had the classic markings of fall armyworms (Photo 1).
Because of the number of fall armyworms that we were finding, well over 12 per square foot, and the previous damage from brown patch, I recommended that he treat immediately for the fall armyworm to prevent any future damage from this insect and provide time for the field to recover from brown patch. The sod grower started to treat his fields on Monday afternoon with bifenthrin and was not able to get all of his fields treated due to equipment limitations on Wednesday, August 25. It was not until Thursday, August 26th that he was able to continue to treat his remaining fields. On Thursday afternoon he started to see damage to the edges of a 24-acre field, and by Friday morning the field was completely defoliated ( Photo 2 ).
Damage was first observed on Friday, August 27th. Complete defoliation of this field occurred in less than a 24-hour time period.
I returned on Monday, August 30th to assess the severity of damage caused by the fall armyworm. I have never seen this level of insect damage and was stunned to view the carnage. At an estimated value of $10,000 to $12,000 dollars per acre and a 24-acre field, the sod producer was looking at roughly a quarter million-dollar loss.
PHOTO 1: The photo is of 6th instar fall armyworm caterpillars illustrating the inverted “Y” mark on the head, 4 dots in a rectangular shape on the last abdominal segment, dark bands on both sides of the body, and 4 dots arranged in a trapeze formation on each abdominal segment.
PHOTO 2: Photo taken on Monday, August 30th to a 24-acre sod field severely damaged by fall armyworms.
Close inspection of the field did show new shoot growth emerging, however it was not consistent throughout the field. My recommendation was to apply a .5 pound of soluble nitrogen per 1,000 ft2 and allow two weeks to see if any reseeding may be required.
During this site visit the owner also showed me a section of this field that was not damaged nor treated and was seeded a year earlier with a different seeding mix of tall fescues and Kentucky bluegrass. The line effect between resistant and susceptible turf to fall armyworm feeding was stunning and begged the question of what was causing the difference. Was it a cultivar difference, age of crop, or an endophyte difference (Photo 3) ?
I returned to the field on September 23rd to see how much recovery occurred over the previous three weeks. There was considerable turfgrass loss in certain areas of the field, +90% loss, while other areas of the field may have had 30–40% loss. The fields were overseeded on September 17. The amount of loss was surprising for an insect that is a leaf defoliator and I had expected to see a greater survival of the turfgrass stand. It is possible that severe defoliation may have exposed the crown to environmental stress and subsequent severe turfgrass loss. The overseeding operation was critical in restoring the harvestability of the sod crop for the Spring 2022 season (Photos 4 and 5).
Biology of the Fall Armyworm
The fall armyworm is considered a tropical insect unable to survive winter conditions (temperatures that drop below 32 F) in most of the continental U.S. except for areas in southern Texas and in southern Florida. During the spring and summer months the moths begin to fly north into the southern states such as northern Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and northern Texas. In these areas the fall armyworm may undergo 3 to 5 generations and can cause significant damage not only to sod crops but to corn, sorghum, and other field crops.
PHOTO 3: Photo of damage to the 24-acre field and a portion of the field, about 1.5 acres that was not damaged. One can also see some circular patches caused by brown patch in the resistant turf to fall armyworm.
PHOTO 4: Photo taken September 23rd showing a section of the field where there was 90% or more of turfgrass loss.
PHOTO 5: Photo of sod field taken on November 25th shows the quality of sod crop with overseeding and an area of the field which was missed during the overseeding operation. Without the overseeding the sod crop would not have been a harvestable crop in the Spring of 2022.
As summer progresses the moths continue to move northwards east of the Rockies and into the midWest from overwintering sites in south Texas. Fall armyworm moths coming from south Florida travel north and east of the Appalachian Mountains through South and North Carolina and into the Mid-Atlantic area of the country. There is overlapping of both the Texas and the Florida overwintering sites as they fly north as we move into mid to late August and September time periods. The distance the moths can fly is dependent on tropical storm fronts moving in a south to north direction.
The fall armyworm undergoes complete metamorphosis: as a pupa, its overwintering stage, to the adult stage (sexual dimorphism), then as eggs, and finally the destructive caterpillar stage which consists of six instars. Most of the feeding damage is done by the larger caterpillars (5th and 6th instars). During the summer months the fall armyworm can complete its life cycle in 30 days while in the spring and fall months it may take 60 days.
Researchers have also identified two strains of the fall armyworm which look identical but have slightly different preferred hosts, susceptibility to certain insecticides, and timing of their northward migration. The two strains are known as the “corn strain” and the “rice strain”; the rice strain prefers to feed on rice, pasture grasses, and turfgrasses while the corn strain prefers to feed on larger grasses such as corn and sorghum.
Why did we see so much damage by the fall armyworm
in 2021?
A number of entomologists have speculated that a perfect storm existed for the movement of large populations of the fall armyworm from southern states up into areas that normally never see fall armyworm activity or damage. Based on blog and scouting reports by ag specialists and entomologists, large populations and multiple generations of fall armyworms were being reported in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida by late MayJune. Environmental conditions during this time period were ideal for this expanding fall armyworm population and severe damage was being seen at this time in southern states. For perspective, the last time this level of armyworm movement and destruction occurred was some 50 years ago in the mid-1970’s. With expanding populations of the fall armyworm developing in the southern states all that was needed was a way to move the migrating moths northward. Several major storm systems coincided at the ideal time to move overwhelming populations further north. On average, moths can fly up to 60 miles within a 24hour period. However if they can catch a major storm front they can easily increase their movement into the hundreds of miles.
What can we expect in 2022 with regards to fall armyworms?
Odds are that the level of damage we experienced in 2021 will not occur in 2022. However, there are a few things to consider in planning for the 2022 season. In the southern states there is a network of pheromone trapping data for the fall armyworm that can be found online. This type of data can be used as an early warning system to determine if control actions may be needed. An example of the type of information one can acquire is shown in the following photo.
Also, the preferred hosts for fall armyworms are bermudagrass, tall fescue without endophyte, and creeping bentgrass. Since bermudagrass has extensive rhizome and stolon growth it can recover from defoliation damage by the fall armyworm. Tall fescue and creeping bentgrass turf will require closer monitoring since they appear to be more susceptible. Zoysiagrass, fine fescues, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass show more resistance to the fall armyworm.
There are a number of insecticides that can be applied for control of the fall armyworm. Since the fall armyworm can cause severe damage within a 24- hour time period vigilant monitoring and quick action will be needed to reduce turfgrass damage. Application of contact-type insecticides will perform best when applied early in the day or later in the afternoon based on fall armyworm feeding activity. The following table lists the products that are labeled for fall armyworm. Be sure to read and review the label of these insecticides before application.
What explanation is there for the difference observed in the sod field?
Crop or Plant Age
Based on plant age there have been observations that seedling turf is more prone to damage by the fall armyworm. However, a one-year-old crop is not considered a seedling plant.
Cultivar Differences
The tall fescue cultivars of Montana, Tonto, and Toltec which showed minimal turfgrass loss were not in the 2012 NTEP study nor on the current MD-VA Turfgrass Cultivar Recommendation List. Thus, it is difficult to trace any field performance data on these tall fescue cultivars and whether these cultivars have the tall fescue endophyte. The cultivars in the heavily damaged field did have the endophyte present in them based on data from the 2012 NTEP report. The cultivars and the percent endophyte infection are as follows: Titanium (85%), Raptor III (97%), and 4th Millennium (100%). Also, these cultivars are on the MD-VA Turfgrass Cultivar Recommended List. However, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing in 2021 of live field samples showed no or minimal presence of the tall fescue endophyte. The viability of these grass fungal endophytes is dependent on a number of environmental conditions ranging from field conditions during seed production to seed storage conditions. It appears that these tall fescue cultivars lost the viability of the endophyte and ultimately resistance to the fall armyworm.
Effect of the Tall Fescue Endophyte
The role of fungal endophytes in plant resistance to leaf feeding insects has been reported in the literature. There are several
Dipel, Javelin, others Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) Biological
Conserve, Matchpoint Spinosad A and D Biological
Talstar, Scimitar, Tempo, Deltagard and Others
Acelepryn, Ferrence and Tetrino
bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, b-cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and others
chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole and tetraniliprole
Sevin carbaryl
Pyrethroids
Diamides
Carbamate
Provaunt indoxacarb Oxadiazine
Aloft and Others clothianidin + bifenthrin
Nicotinoid + Pyrethroid
Effective on young caterpillars, Insects must ingest it; rain and sunlight will degrade it; conserves beneficials
Higher rates required for larger larva; conserves beneficials
Fast acting, inexpensive, broad- spectrum insecticides. Will reduce beneficials
This is one of the newest insecticide families and will provide extended control of more than a month. Acelepryn has shown up to 4 months residual control
Broad spectrum and fast acting. Will also reduce beneficials
Excellent activity on Lepidopteran caterpillars; minimal impact on beneficial insects
The nicotinoid component of this combination will provide white grub control and the pyrethroid component will give control of surface feeding insects. Will reduce beneficials.
TABLE 1. Recommended insecticides for control of fall armyworm.
different techniques that can be used to determine the presence of fungal endophytes from staining techniques to PCR testing. Initially a staining technique, rose-bengal stain, did not provide conclusive evidence of endophyte presence.
A total of four samples, two from the damaged field (-1 and -2) and two from the undamaged field (+3 and +5) were submitted in early November, 2021 to Dr. Hannah Rivedal at the USDA Ag Research Service in Corvallis, Oregon for PCR testing. Each of the samples submitted contained multiple shoot systems that were randomly selected within each field area. Dr. Rivedal then collected 5 tiller samples from each of the four samples and performed nucleic extraction on these samples for PCR testing. The PCR test was designed to determine the presence of several mycotoxins related to fungal endophytes and the table below shows Dr. Rivedal results.
The fields that were not damaged, samples (+3 and+ 5) had the endophyte while sample -2 which was the field area heavily damaged had no endophyte. Sample -1 had only Loline present suggesting a lack of sufficient mycotoxin production to reduce armyworm feeding damage. At the time of this writing, results for the other two mycotoxins, ergot alkaloids and the indole diterpenes has not been reported.
These results strongly implicate the tall fescue endophyte for imparting host plant resistance to the fall armyworm. This further supports the development of tall fescue cultivars with the fungal endophyte to reduce insecticide applications for not only fall armyworm but other leaf feeding insects. However, there needs to be a recommended methodology to ensure the viability of the endophyte from initial cultivar development to field applications. Endophyte-enhanced resistance is a major cornerstone in Turfgrass IPM programs and should play an even larger role in pest management programs when municipalities impose restrictions on traditional based insecticides.
Your New Go-To Grass
All claims based on research results from National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) trials & Oklahoma State University. Visit our website for full reports.
See Tahoma 31 in the Transition Zone for yourself at:
Brook Hollow Golf Club, Dallas, TX (fairways, tees, roughs)
Chillicothe Country Club, Ohio (fairways)
Liberty National Golf Club, New Jersey (driving range tee)
Naval Academy Golf Club, Maryland (fairways, tees)
Congressional Country Club, Maryland (8-acre driving range)
Southern Hills Country Club, Oklahoma (collars)
Developed by the turfgrass experts at Oklahoma State University, Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass pushes the geographic boundaries of bermudagrass into the northernmost reaches of the Transition Zone. Highly cold tolerant, the name “Tahoma” comes from the Native American word that means “frozen water.”
Use Tahoma 31 to design golf courses that are beautiful, sustainable, easier to maintain and play great.
COLD
PLAYABILITY
DROUGHT
COLOR
QUALITY
SHADE
for spring color.
Rated #1 for beauty and resilience. Heals fast from divots & wear.
CAROLINA TURF FARMS PO Box 850, Raeford, NC 28376 910-875-6141 ncsodman@carolinaturffarms.com carolinaturffarms.com TABLE 2. The results of the PCR testing are shown below.
Plant Tahoma 31 further north for a strong base in the winter that fights wilt in the sumner.
Thick, dense turf. ¼ to ½-inch mowing height for tees, fairways.
less water. Takes 18% less water than TifTuf.
Blue-green most of the year. Golden in dormancy. Earliest green-up
MAKING THE MOST OF CHECK-INS MEMBER TEAM
By Neal Glatt, CSP, ASM
The
very best managers and team leaders are those who check-in with their team members on a regular basis. Yet even experienced leaders can miss opportunities for employee engagement and success without a great game plan for these conversations. Here’s how I help managers make the most of team member check-ins.
CONSISTENT
Team member check-ins are often launched with a formal announcement as a “new way of doing things” which rarely sticks long-term. For both managers and employees, this experience will feel awkward for a while. Unfortunately, many quit check-ins before they become consistent.
In order to have successful team member check-ins, consistency needs to happen first. By developing a habit of formally sitting down for a conversation, the clumsiness of a new conversation will give way to trust and excitement that is required for growth and improvement. Leaders starting (or restarting) check-ins should worry less about what results are we getting from this exercise and more about how often we are completing this exercise. Just like physical exercise, results come from consistent effort over sustained periods of time rather than extreme effort on occasion.
FREQUENT
Team member check-ins also need to happen on a regular basis to help job performance. Unfortunately, 76% of employees report that their performance is formally reviewed by their manager once a year or less according to Gallup. And deep down, we all know that a one-hour conversation couldn’t possibly increase performance for an entire year.
I like to have weekly check-ins with those I’m coaching. With one-hour weekly conversations, there is ample time and space
Better Built. Quality Results.
to discuss all the things we need to cover (more on that in a minute) and frequent enough to responsively adjust to changes as they arise. Instead of boss reviewing last year’s performance, I’m a coach helping performance for the next play of the game.
FUTURE-FOCUSED
Nobody is perfect. So, when we check-in with the people we lead, the goal shouldn’t be to dissect what mistakes have been made in the past because there is nothing that can be done to solve them. In the same way, reviewing what was accomplished since the last check-in isn’t helpful either. That’s because the goal is to increase future performance. To do so requires focusing on the future rather than the past.
I prefer to discuss what will be accomplished in the coming weeks, months, and years. On a weekly basis, asking about when and how work will be completed is key to realizing performance. By anticipating obstacles, team leaders can identify opportunities to provide materials, equipment, information, or support to prevent issues from occurring. And by forecasting months and years into the future, employees can feel that they’re working toward a significant goal and growing their career in a direction that will bring them fulfillment. This is where professional and personal development can be explored and encouraged.
HOLISTIC
For too long, team member check-ins have focused solely on work. Employees today want to be valued for more than just
their contribution, and team leaders can build successful teams by caring for people holistically. We all know that big issues in our personal life can hinder our performance at work, so creating a place to discuss them in our check-ins is how we can help people as people.
I love Gallup’s model of well-being which identifies five areas in our lives that are interconnected and inseparable: Career, Financial, Social, Community, and Physical. All five areas of well-being should be discussed with team members to ensure they can be their best selves both at work and in life. When team leaders help people find success in all five areas, they become trusted mentors who care and receive the best possible performance from their people.
Starting team check-ins the right way will be difficult, timeconsuming, and awkward, but it is the only way to provide the support and encouragement that people need to be their best. If I can ever help you or your organization, please feel free to reach out.
USING RESULTS FROM THE NATIONAL TURFGRASS EVALUATION PROGRAM (NTEP)
By Dave Han, Ph.D. – Auburn University and Alabama Extension
TheNational Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) is a fantastic source for information on newly-released and upcoming turfgrass varieties. Since 1983, NTEP has been evaluating turfgrass varieties and making data from those variety trials available for free to the public. A survey of turfgrass managers published in 2019 determined that 87% of the 306 respondents to the survey had heard of the NTEP program. At the same time, over half of the respondents (52%) said they visited the NTEP (www.ntep.org) website to look at trial results either never or less than once per year (Yue et al., 2019).
Could NTEP be used more? I think so. I personally use their data many times per year, but along the way I have developed some tricks and tools to help me get the most out of what sometimes seems to be an overwhelming mountain of numbers. So let’s take a quick tour of NTEP, what it is and how it works, and how to find what you need from their data reports.
COOL SEASON WARM SEASON
Creeping bentgrass (putting greens) Bermudagrass
Creeping bentgrass (fairways/tees) Buffalograss
Fineleaf fescues Zoysiagrass
Kentucky bluegrass St. Augustinegrass
Perennial ryegrass Seashore paspalum
Tall fescue
TABLE 1. NTEP tests data are available for these species
Ryegrass fairway overseed NTEP Test Eufaula CC
Auburn University Turf Unit Zoysia NTEP
Planning for weather conditions
Accurate budget forecasts plus or minus half a penny
Balancing irrigation costs with equipment and labor costs
Deere, the leaping deer symbol
How NTEP works
NTEP is a non-profit cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state universities, and turfgrass industry groups. The variety trials that NTEP sponsors, cover the most commonly-used turfgrasses (both cool season and warm season, see Table 1 ) in the United States. Trials typically run for five years, and are called by the year they were established. For example, the 2013 National Bermudagrass Test was planted in 2013 and contains data from the 2013–2017 growing seasons. The currently-running bermudagrass trial is the 2019 National Bermudagrass Test, which was established in 2019.
Tests are established at many sites throughout the regions where a particular species will grow. Typically, there are around 10 – 15 sites, though this varies with each test. The sites are usually associated with research universities – for example, at our main research facility in Auburn, Auburn University has the current bermudagrass and zoysiagrass NTEP trials. We also had the just-finished 2016 St. Augustinegrass trail and established a bentgrass trial this fall. In the past, we have also run NTEP tests at outlying research units, such as a tall fescue trial at the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center in northeastern Alabama. Occasionally, NTEP will place tests on-site, especially for tests on putting greens. NTEP also ran a perennial ryegrass overseed trial, with locations on golf course fairways. For on-site tests, the golf course maintains the tests day-to-day, and university researchers typically evaluate the tests the same way they do on-campus ones.
Because NTEP places trials in as many places as it can where a species will grow, they are able to collect data from many different environments. This is good, but it can also trip up an end user. For example, the current bermudagrass NTEP has locations including Riverside, CA, Ft. Lauderdale FL, Wichita, KS, and West Lafayette, IN. While it is very helpful for a plant breeder at a university or a seed company to know how their
new bermudagrass performs in environments as different as these, if you are a sod farmer, landscaper, sports field manager, or other end user, you probably are interested only in how the grass performs in your own environment. More on this later.
What are NTEP ratings?
There is a lot of information available from NTEP tests, but the bread and butter is the visual quality rating. There have been attempts over the years to determine whether equipment such as handheld optical sensors can provide more consistent, better, or faster ratings, but a trained observer still functions as well as equipment and has the advantage of being cheaper and more universally available. Still, the fact that different people evaluate ratings at each site is important to remember when looking at the data.
NTEP publishes guidelines on how to rate their tests on the web (https://ntep.org/pdf/ratings.pdf). Quality ratings are taken on a scale of 1 – 9, where 1 is the poorest possible rating (no turf at all) and 9 the best. A rating of 6 or above indicates acceptable turf quality. This means that a rating of “6” has a different meaning when evaluating a bentgrass putting green versus a tall fescue lawn. Quality ratings take into account the density, texture, color, and effects of pests or environmental stress on the turf. Often these individual factors are broken out and rated separately, too.
Sometimes, a location will focus on a specific factor – for example, locations in arid environments often focus on rating drought or salinity tolerance. Sometimes, a particular site will put extra stress on a test – traffic being the main examples. Only some sites in any given test will do this. Finally, some sites may let disease or insect damage go to a certain point in order to see differences in varieties’ susceptibility – but not let plots die completely. Most sites control diseases and insects to ensure that the trial can run for the full five years.
FIGURE 1. A sample NTEP summary table. Although the varieties are ranked by their mean (average) quality rating over all of the sites in the test (highlighted in red), it is advisable to begin by looking at ratings from individual sites with environments that most closely match the area where an individual will grow the grass. For example, in this bermudagrass test, data from sites with environments similar to that found in Birmingham, Alabama are highlighted in green.
Many of the varieties in the tests have names already and are commercially available, but some are not. Often, companies and/ or universities will place varieties in the NTEP studies under their own internal code numbers, and the ones that do well will get names and be released in the future. NTEP tests also include standard varieties for comparison. These are well-established, popular varieties such as Tifway bermudagrass or Penn A-1 creeping bentgrass.
How do I use NTEP ratings?
Figure 1 shows the final NTEP report for the entire five years of the 2013 bermudagrass test. The first thing I always do when looking at NTEP data is to skip the overall rating mean that NTEP provides in the rightmost column (highlighted in red). Why do this? That column is the average of ratings for each variety over the entire test. But, the entire test includes sites with radically different environments. Of course, everyone wants a variety that does well in all environments (that’s what the overall average or mean rating will tell you).
I prefer to look at individual sites first and start with ones in environments similar to where I would grow the grass. For example, many readers of the Alabama Turf Times might be more interested in how a variety performs in Auburn, AL, Griffin, GA and Starkville, MS (highlighted in green) than in Indiana or Missouri. But if I were interested in a grass for the transition zone, then sites like West Lafayette, IN or Columbia, MO would be much more interesting to me.
Sometimes there is a variety that does really well in one part of the country and not another. This may drag down its average rating, but in the environments where it is suited, it could be a real star. You also want to avoid varieties that may do well in most environments (so they have a good overall rating) but might be weak in your particular one.
In recent years, NTEP has sorted out results by region for some tests, publishing separate data table for sites with similar environments. This is great. I hope that it continues with future tests.
The other extremely important thing to know about NTEP data is the LSD value. LSD stands for Least Significant Difference, and it’s a measure of how likely results are to be true differences in variety performance, and not just random chance. Figure 2 shows an example of this from a bermudagrass test. Any difference between two varieties’ ratings that is smaller than the LSD value can’t really be attributed to an actual difference between the varieties. His means that there is usually a group of varieties at the top of the ratings that statistically all performed the same. It’s almost impossible to use NTEP data to find the “ONE TRUE BEST VARIETY!” But what NTEP does very well is give you a list of top-performing varieties you can choose from. It also tells which varieties did not perform as well as others.
Future plans for NTEP are to provide data in graphical form, which should make it easier to read than tables of numbers. Online tables with ratings sortable by location would be on the top of my personal wishlist for new data presentation formats. But still, I think that the NTEP data are underused and many more people can benefit from all of the work that the researchers put into running the tests.
REFERENCES
Bell, G. E., Martin, D. L., Koh, K., & Han, H. R. (2009). Comparison of Turfgrass Visual Quality Ratings with Ratings Determined Using a Handheld Optical Sensor, HortTechnology 19: 309-316.
Krans, J.V. and Morris, K. (2007), Determining a Profile of Protocols and Standards used in the Visual Field Assessment of Turfgrasses: A Survey of National Turfgrass Evaluation Program-Sponsored University Scientists. Applied Turfgrass Science, 4: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1094/ATS-2007-1130-01-TT
Morris, K.N. and Shearman, R.C. NTEP Turfgrass Evaluation Guidelines. (Undated) https://ntep.org/pdf/ratings.pdf
Yue, C., Wang, J., Watkins, E., Xie, Y., Shekhar, S., Bonos, S. A., Patton, A., Morris, K., & Moncada, K. (2019). User Preferences for Accessing Publically Available Turfgrass Cultivar Performance Data, HortTechnology 29:, 599-610.
FIGURE 2 . The LSD value given in the data table (highlighted in red) is critical for separating cultivar ratings. Any difference between ratings that is less than this value is not statistically significant. In this table, all of the varieties highlighted in yellow cannot be separated because the difference between them is less than the LSD of 0.3.
Become a NC Certified Turfgrass Professional!
Fast Facts about the NCCTP The
North Carolina Certified Turfgrass Professional (NCCTP) program is a comprehensive program developed to enhance the technical competency of turfgrass professionals, while elevating their professional image, that of your business and of the turfgrass management industry. Administered by the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina, the NCCTP designation confirms your expertise in turfgrass management to prospective customers and your peers.
Reasons to Begin Earning Your NCCTP Designation Today
The NCCTP program increases and enhances your turfgrass industry knowledge, career, and business development through a course of study of in-depth coverage of the science of turfgrass management.
The NCCTP designation offers immediate confidence and credibility of turfgrass management practices to customers and prospective employers.
Promote and market yourself as a North Carolina Certified Turfgrass Professional.
• Use the NCCTP logo on your business materials.
• Use NCCTP pins, uniform patches, and vehicle decals.
• Your TCNC Member Directory listing is distinguished with the NCCTP logo.
We Are Partnered With The NC State Turfgrass Professional Short Course
The NC State Turfgrass Professional Short Course, a comprehensive turfgrass education program, is offered at select NC State Extension offices and at NC State University. This Short Course offers a full curriculum of the science of turfgrass management as well as Continuing Education Credits for NCDACS Pesticide and NCLCLB Landscape Contractors’ license holders, and it will help you prepare for the NCCTP exam.
This Short Course is recommended but not required to take the NCCTP exam.
Enrollment Requirements:
Hold a current TCNC membership. If not currently a member, go to www.ncturfgrass.org and click ‘JOIN NOW’ to join online or download an application.
Have a minimum of one full year of work experience in the turfgrass industry.
Agree to the Certified Turfgrass Professional Code of Ethics as detailed on the application form.
Submit:
• A current and valid NC Pesticide Applicators license
• A completed NCCTP application (current TCNC members may apply online).
• NCCTP Program Application: $150
• Self-Study Materials: $50
• Exam Fee: $50
Curriculum and Exam:
Curriculum covers nine core areas: Turfgrass Characteristics; Establishing Turfgrass; Soils & Nutrient Management; Cultural Practices; Pests & Integrated Pest Management; Pesticides & Plant Growth Regulators; Landscape Safety & Pesticide Use; Calculations & Calibration; Turfgrass Business & Economics.
Candidates have six months from the date of their enrollment acceptance to complete the NCCTP exam. Candidates have six hours to complete the exam and must score 80% or more on each section to receive the NCCTP designation.
Exams can be taken at the TCNC office in Raleigh during normal business hours, or arrangements can be made at your local NC State Extension location.
Exams will not be graded if any application information is missing or if TCNC membership status cannot be confirmed. Please allow two to three weeks for exam grading and reports.
Upon successful completion of the exam, candidates will receive communication with their results and either next step options or their graduation packet.
Maintenance Requirements:
Maintain a current TCNC membership as a means of demonstrating ongoing support for the industry. Submit an annual $50 renewal fee, which supports the NCCTP program and related promotional activities. Designation year is the same as the TCNC membership year, from July 1st to June 30th.
Hold a current NC Pesticide Applicator’s License. Subscribe to, actively support and uphold the TCNC Certification Code of Ethics.
The NC Certified Turfgrass Professional designation (NCCTP), the NCCTP logo and related programs materials are the trademarked property of the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina and cannot be used without TCNC’s written permission.
For additional information, contact TCNC at (919) 459-2070.
NCCTP Certification Program ENROLLMENT APPLICATION
Name Phone Address City State Zip
TCNC Membership #*
Pesticide Applicator License #
QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS
Please read the items below and check each one that is true for you.
MEMBERSHIP: I am now, or I am applying here to be, a member in good standing of the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina.
PESTICIDE LICENSE: I hold a current North Carolina Pesticide Ground Applicator License with subclass L, turf, and ornamental (or equivalent from another state).
EXPERIENCE: I have completed a minimum of one full year of turfgrass industry professional work experience.
EXAM: Upon acceptance into the program, I plan to complete my study and take the required exam within six months.
DUTY: I have initialed the following page of this application to show that I strongly support and willingly subscribe to the Certified Turfgrass Professional Code of Ethics, and I pledge to uphold the credibility and integrity of the program.
CONTINUING EDUCATION: I agree to successfully complete additional future curriculum materials or sections that may be required as a result of new technology or regulation.
Company Title
Supervisor Supervisor’s Phone
Supervisor’s E-Mail
Company’s Address
City State Zip
Work Experience
Describe your turfgrass industry professional work experience; one full year is required to apply.
NCCTP Application Fee: $150, Study Materials: $50, Exam Fee: $50, TCNC Dues (call for amount, based on date)
Check Number__________________ (payable to TCNC)
TOTAL $
Credit Card: AMEX Visa MC Discover Billing Zip Code
Credit Card #
Name on Card
By signing this application, I verify that all the information is true and correct, I acknowledge and assume full responsibility for the charges on this application, and I agree to honor and abide by the terms of this non-refundable payment.
Signature Date
CERTIFIED TURFGRASS PROFESSIONAL CODE OF ETHICS
Please read and initial each section below that you support and commit to uphold.
DUTY TO THE PUBLIC
I AGREE
I AGREE
I AGREE
I AGREE
I AGREE
Printed Name Signature
Conduct service first and foremost with regards to the safety, health, and welfare of the general public. Provide service, recommendations, and information based upon honest experience, and scientifically accurate and factual knowledge.
DUTY TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Operate in such a manner to protect and preserve our environment. Use and monitor all equipment, products, and materials in a manner consistent with the label and safe for the environment.
DUTY TO THE LAWS OF OUR LAND
Abide by all laws and regulations affecting the turf industry and support the enforcement of these laws.
DUTY TO OUR FELLOW PROFESSIONALS
Refrain from the use of false, misleading, or deceptive marketing and advertising practices. Practice and insist upon sound business management practices. Maintain the highest standard of personal conduct to reflect credit and add stature to the turf industry. Recognize the importance of strong relationships within the industry. Abstain from untruthful debasement, or encroachment upon, the professional reputation or practice of another turfgrass professional.
DUTY TO THE ASSOCIATION
Participate in association activities and events to help further the profession. Abstain from any unfair exploitation of my association, industry, or profession.
By signing this Code of Ethics, I agree to follow the duties and intentions outlined above, and I commit to supporting and upholding these ethics with consistency and integrity.
Date
Please Return Entire NCCTP Application To TCNC Via: email: info@ncturfgrass.org fax: (919) 459-2075 or mail: TCNC, 110 Horizon Dr. Ste 210, Raleigh, NC 27615
Andrew Iverstine Iverstine Outdoor Clover, SC
Cameron Barber Town of Tarboro Parks and Recreation Tarboro, NC
Tim Alford Fairway Green Raleigh, NC
Daniel Carr Morehead City, NC
Garnald Efird Efirds Turf Solutions Indian Trail, NC
NCCTP
Zach Johanson, NCCTP #47906 Town of Garner Garner, NC
Calendar of Events
MARCH 8, 2022
Guilford County Regional Turfgrass Conference
Guilford County Extension Office Greensboro, NC
MARCH 14, 2022
Monroe Regional Turfgrass Conference
The Special Events Center Monroe, NC
MAY 5, 2022
TCNC
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
Email:
Website:
