Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
March/April 2013
Plant-Health Products:
How They Might Boost Summer Stress Tolerance Plus, Special Inside… Highlights from the VTC’s Annual Turf & Landscape Conference & Tradeshow
Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council | March/April 2013
16
22 22 Cover Story
lant-Health Products: P How They Might Boost Summer Stress Tolerance
16 Recent Event
ighlights from the VTC’s H Annual Turf & Landscape Conference & Tradeshow, January 28–30
30 Departments 06 From the VTC President from Frank Flannagan
08 Director’s Corner
from Tom Tracy, Ph.D.
10 Editor’s Perspective
from Mark Vaughn, CGCS
12 VTF Report
from Betty Parker
14 News from the VTC 15 Legislative Update 29 Index of Advertisers 30 News from Virginia Tech 30 Turfgrass Calendar
Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC) 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, Virginia Turfgrass Journal, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or VTC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this bimonthly publication. Copyright ©2013 by the Virginia Turfgrass Council. Virginia Turfgrass Journal is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of VTC. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notification to VTC, P.O. Box 5989, Virginia Beach, VA 23471. Postage guaranteed. Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Virginia Turfgrass Journal allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to VTC. 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, Franklin, TN 37068-0142, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524. Deadlines are the first of the month prior to the following month’s publication. (Example: August 1 for the September issue.)
We Need Your Input!
From the President
Frank Flannagan 2012–2013 VTC President
W
hat does the future hold for the turfgrass industry for the coming year? First, let us review the 2012 Annual VTC Turf and Landscape Conference and Tradeshow held in late January in Fredericksburg. After a successful conference, the VTC board of directors, along with members from the Old Dominion Golf Course Superintendents Association, Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association, Virginia Sod Growers Association and technical advisors from Virginia Tech, sat down and reviewed the entire conference program. We discussed successes, and we dissected what we thought needed improvement. Our evaluations included timelines for educational programs, currency of information from our researchers, new trends in the industry and government regulations and how they affect our industry. All evaluations were based on the question, “What is the value of this program for our members?” With the information gathered, the educational committee members, along with various association representatives, were able to come up with a rough draft of the educational program for the 2013 conference. Throughout the year, the commit-
tee continued to review and make changes to improve the program. By September, the program began to solidify, and the pieces started to fall in place. Now, can you guess where I am going with this? Your education committee would greatly appreciate your input for the 2014 conference. If you have a particular topic you think would be of interest to the membership, I ask that you get in touch with someone on the board of directors, the educational committee or our executive director, Dr. Tom Tracy. Do not forget the old saying: “Your association is only as good as its members’ involvement.” With the 2013 conference only weeks ago, the committees are starting to review and plan for the 2014 conference and show. A preliminary review of the 2013 conference and tradeshow indicates an increase in attendance. The VTC board of directors has received positive comments about the educational programs. In addition, the tradeshow continues to be a success. Our educational committee again will review and make changes to continue to improve and ensure that we stay current. The VTC Membership Committee has initiated incentives for recruiting
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new members and retaining existing VTC members. These new benefits for members include free pesticide recertification, free certification for fertilizer applicators and free entry into the turfgrass research studies at the Hampton Roads AREC in June — all combined, it’s $145 value for the $75 VTC membership fee. Check out the VTC website at vaturf.org/. Finally, the Legislative Committee, chaired by Gil Grattan, and other VTC members staffed a table for the final week of the General Assembly to introduce our state legislators to the Virginia Turfgrass Council, Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association, Hampton Roads Nursery and Landscape Association, Professional Grounds Managers Society and Virginia Cooperative Extension. Each group provided materials containing information related to their industry. With the results from our evaluation and, we hope, with lots of input from the membership, we will continue to make improvements to the educational programs and provide greater value to our membership.
Frank Flannagan
2012–2013 VTC President
Director’s Corner
Staying the Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director
“W
Course
hatever you do, Mr. Cunningham, don’t turn all the lights on in this building at the same time.” So began Christopher Newport University’s (CNU) classes on September 8, 1961. This university, which is now over 50 years old, has grown and thrived, developing beyond those dire words of warning from a city electrical inspector given just days before the start of classes in a renovated, abandoned public school building. CNU’s consistent growth may be attributed to its vision and to its drive for excellence. Long before the doors opened in 1961, CNU’s leaders knew they wanted the school to be more than a two-year college. They envisioned the day when not only Bachelor degrees would be offered but also Master’s and Doctoral programs. The vision of what the college would become drove many decisions made during the first two decades of the college’s existence. “Excellence” was more than a word on a plaque at the fledgling college. Every instructor was committed to providing rigorous, relevant instruction. Classes were not designed to focus on preparing children of local families for careers in the local shipbuilding industry. Nor was the goal to simply allow students to complete a two-year degree just by attending classes. Initially, students were surprised. Many were
expecting to coast through their two years at this upstart college. Like CNU, the Virginia Turfgrass Council grows because we maintain a strong commitment to a few driving forces: adherence to our mission and our constant quest for improvement. The VTC’s mission is clear and simple — we exist to serve Virginia’s turfgrass industry. We do not spend extensive resources on homeowners or other segments of the green industry. Our board makes decisions based on the filtering question, “Does this activity or endeavor serve Virginia’s turfgrass industry?” Do we feel hindered and shackled by the mission-mandated focus on the industry? No! On the contrary, we are freed! We cannot be all things to all people. As someone has said, “He who seeks to please everyone pleases no one.” Adhering to our mission frees us to focus our limited resources. The drive to continuously improve is not just an empty slogan. We always examine everything we do with the goal of making it better. We keep what works well and modify — or discard — what does not. Christopher Newport University is now a highly respected, thriving university in Newport News. Its leaders’ commitment to a vision and to excellence enabled then to grow beyond worrying about how many lights could be turned on at the same time. The Virginia Turfgrass Council will con-
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tinue to grow and thrive as long as we never forget the members and industry we serve, and as long as we always strive to excel. c
Virginia Turfgrass Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 Office: (757) 464-1004 Fax: (757) 282-2693 vaturf@verizon.net Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com Editor Mark Vaughn, CGCS VTC OFFICERS President Frank Flannagan Belmont Golf Course (804) 262-4939 Vice President Fredrick Biggers, CGCS Wintergreen Resort (434) 325-8252 Treasurer Brian Vincel, CGCS Spring Creek Golf Club (434) 566-2580 Past President Melissa Reynolds Dura Turf Service Corp. (804) 233-4972 VTC DIRECTORS Gil Grattan Rick Owens, CGCS Marc Petrus Mark Roberts Christian Sain Steve Smith Rick Viancour, CGCS Scott Woodward  VTC ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Mike Goatley, Ph.D. (Chair) Shawn Askew, Ph.D. Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. Erik Ervin, Ph.D. Rajandra Waghray, Ph.D. Rod Youngman, Ph.D. Executive Director/ Director of PROGRAMS Tom Tracy, Ph.D. (757) 681-6065 Virginia Turfgrass Foundation Betty Parker (757) 574-9061
Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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Editor’s Perspective
Take Care of Those
Mark Vaughn, CGCS Virginia Turfgrass Journal Editor
Who Take Care of Us
We
resisted for a long time. Two years, to be exact. But after a while, you get tired of being the only one who doesn’t speak the language or know the players. For example, if you took this football season off, you probably have no idea what terms like Manti Te’o, imaginary girlfriend, pistol offense, Joe Flacco or Johnny Football mean. So, while your friends are wolfing down hot wings and beverages and chatting it up, you begin to feel like Ted Nugent at a DNC meeting. What made it all the worse was that we were/ are frequent PBS watchers. So, it was then that my wife and I took advantage of the long Christmas through New Year’s holiday break to do some frantic catching up on Netflix and Hulu. I speak, of course, of the venerable “Downton Abbey” or, as it is called here in Southside Virginia, “Downtown Abbey.” A few things about the first episode were hard to understand. For one, the
spoken word. When you don’t speak the King’s English on a regular basis, it can sound much like a foreign language until you catch the flow of it. People (particularly women) seem to love the English dialect, so much so that I developed a fake accent a la Tina Turner and Madonna to use on my wife. I have also asked her to address me as My Lord, but as of yet, this request has been fulfilled with words unprintable. Number two, I always associated the term “abbey” with a monastery or convent, not a private family home. The Pope would not be welcome at Downton. You soon realize that this is basically a soap opera. A wellwritten, beautifully presented, brilliantly acted, highbrow one, yes, but no different than “Dallas” or “The Sopranos.” The evil, scheming J.R. has been replaced by Thomas and O’Brien, Tony Soprano replaced by Lord Grantham and the matriarch Miss Ellie replaced by the Dowager
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Countess (portrayed by the highlight of the series for me, Maggie Smith). I can hear the dry, sharp wit of my great-grandmother in every line that she delivers. And, though at times she sees herself as a chess master moving pieces around the board, the wisdom gained from all those years on earth are invaluable to the next generation. Except… “Downton Abbey” IS different in one respect. The first plot line follows the privileged Crawley clan, while the second one follows those usually relegated to an afterthought — the “help.” The staff of butler, housekeeper, cook, valet, ladies’ maid, first footman, second footman, chambermaid, housemaid, driver, etc., is just as interesting to viewers as the aristocracy. You are subtly reminded that aside from the obvious monetary differences, many of the same human struggles are faced by both groups. Babies are born. Children die. Weddings take place. Financial ruin is faced. Jealousies,
broken relationships, crushing disappointments, joyous celebrations and physical hardships all run the gamut up and down the stairwells of the old mansion. And when World War I breaks out, members of both groups find themselves side by side in the trenches. It’s been a tough few years for those of us in the green industry. Landscapers aren’t putting plants in the ground. Sod farms are feeling the effects of a collapsed housing market. Irrigation contractors have taken a hit in the residential, commercial and golf markets. Golf courses have been affected by a perfect storm of oversupply, struggling economy and changes in societal lifestyles. There ARE signs, though, that things are starting to awaken. Home sales and new construction are slowly increasing; the stock market has risen substantially since the first of the year; and with a little help from Mother Nature, golf in the Mid-Atlantic enjoyed a rebound in 2012. That is tempered somewhat when I pay $10 for a box of cereal and a gallon of milk or when the same gas station I passed in the morning has increased its pricing by $0.10/gallon nine hours later. No, I don’t have someone to hold my jacket while I step into it or open the door for me when my chauffeured limo arrives at the office. And to borrow a line from Pink Floyd, it is not “us” and “them.” But, let’s face it. While most of us have kept our jobs (albeit without a salary increase), because it is such a huge part of any budget, labor has taken the brunt of cost reductions. The guys and gals working for an hourly wage are the canaries in the coalmine; they feel even the slightest increase in prices. They make us look good. They’re in the trenches with or without us every day. Let’s make 2013 the year we refocus on taking care of those who take care of us. c Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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VTF Report
Betty Parker VTF Manager
Thank to You our
Donors!
The
VTF would like to thank the Shenandoah Valley Turf Association for once again providing our industry with a platinum example of commitment and support. You may remember that last year, the SVTA became just the second member of our exclusive Platinum Club, reaching over $50,000 in total donations. The Virginia Turf Association was the first to reach this lofty plateau, but we sure would like to see others join them. On January 28, at the gathering for the General Session of the VTC, the SVTA presented their check for $5,000 toward turfgrass research. We would like to commend them for not resting on their laurels, but instead continuing the fine tradition they have established in support of the VTF. We would also like to thank the Virginia Sod Growers Association for their recent donation of $2,000. They are small in numbers, but generous in heart, and we appreciate so much their support in the work we provide to our turfgrass industry. Thank you also to Cutler Robinson who was our very first online donor. He was able to successfully navigate the button on our website at:
job as the quality of turfgrass increases and managing it becomes easier. The Virginia Turfgrass Council also announced the proceeds from the 2012 Bob Ruff Jr. Memorial Research Tournament held last year at Spring Creek Golf Club. Thanks to all of you who participated in raising $7,916.50 for turfgrass research. This year’s tournament will travel back to Wintergreen Resort and will be held on June 3, 2013. Spaces for this tournament are limited, but they do have 27 holes available, so get your teams signed up.
www.vaturf.org/golftournament.html Truly, we are very thankful for all your donations. We had a plethora of outstanding proposals submitted this year and had to make some difficult cuts to stay within our budget. c
www.vaturf.org/foundation.html We would like to challenge all of you to follow suit and see just how good it feels to be a part of the research being done at Virginia Tech. This research enhances your
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News from the VTC
Meet Your New 2013 PRESIDENT Frank Flannagan Belmont Golf Course Henrico, VA (804) 262-4939 fla20@co.henrico.va.us VICE PRESIDENT Fredrick Biggers, CGCS Wintergreen Resort Wintergreen, VA (434) 325-8252 fbiggers@wintergreen resort.com TREASURER Brian Vincel, CGCS Spring Creek Golf Club Gordonsville, VA (434) 566-2580 bvincel@springcreek living.com
VTC Leaders
Marc Petrus Innovative Turf Services Rockville, VA (540) 220-7883 marcpetrus@aol.com
Steve Smith Specialty Turf Services Chester, VA (804) 347-7272 scsmith@cwtg.com
VTC ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Roberts The Steward School Richmond, VA (804) 980-1440 mark.roberts@ stewardschool.org
Rick Viancour, CGCS Golden Horseshoe Golf Club Williamsburg, VA (757) 220-7489 rviancour@cwf.org
Christian Sain The Country Club of Virginia Richmond, VA (804) 287-1464 christian.sain@ theccv.org
Scott Woodward Woodward Turf Farms Nokesville, VA (540) 727-0020 shwturf1@aol.com
Rajandra Waghray, Ph.D. Virginia Tech Extension (retired) Shawn Askew, Ph.D. Manassas, VA (703) 331-5732 Virginia Tech devandra@juno.com Blacksburg, VA (540) 231-5807 Rod Youngman, saskew@vt.edu Ph.D.
PAST PRESIDENT Melissa Reynolds Dura Turf Service Corp. Richmond, VA (804) 233-4972 duraturfservice@ verizon.net EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tom Tracy, Ph.D. Virginia Turfgrass Council Virginia Beach, VA (757) 464-1004 vaturf@verizon.net DIRECTORS Gil Grattan Virginia Green Lawn Care Richmond, VA (804) 285-6200 gil.grattan@virginiagreen lawncare.com Rick Owens, CGCS Laurel Hill Golf Club Lorton, VA (703) 674-6934 rickjowens@yahoo.com
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Mike Goatley, Ph.D. (chair) Virginia Tech,CSES Dept. Blacksburg, VA (540) 231-2951 goatley@vt.edu
Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Ag. Research Station Virginia Beach, VA (757) 363-3912 jderr@vt.edu
Erik Ervin, Ph.D. Virginia Tech, CSES Dept. Blacksburg, VA (540) 231-5208 ervin@vt.edu
Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA (540) 231-9118 youngman@vt.edu
VTC Board Member Gil Grattan, manning Virginia’s Green Industries’ table at the General Assembly.
Legislative Update
VTC
Participates — in the —
General Assembly By Gil Grattan, VTC Board Member and President of Virginia Green Lawn Care
M
embers of Virginia’s green industry were present at the state’s General Assembly the week of February 18, 2013. With the assistance of Virginia Tech’s Dr. Mike Goatley Jr., the Virginia Turfgrass Council helped secure a display table in the main lobby, and various groups staffed the exhibit throughout the week. Industry groups represented during the week included: • Virginia Cooperative Extension Service • Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association • Virginia Turfgrass Council • Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association • Professional Grounds Management Society Industry members had an opportunity to walk the floors, meet with Senators and Delegates from their districts and discuss turfgrass-related issues and the numerous benefits of the green industry. Many people stopped at the table with turfgrass-related questions and picked up literature and information. Thanks to everyone from the VTC who participated during the week, and special thanks to Dr. Goatley for helping secure the table. We look forward to continuing projects like this in the future to keep the Virginia Turfgrass Council involved in legislative issues and to represent our members on the state level. c
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Recent Event
Highlights from the VTC’s
2013 Turf & Landscape Conference & Tradeshow January 28–30
The
VTC’s annual gathering in Fredericksburg continues to attract droves of turfgrass professionals from across the Mid-Atlantic region. This year’s event welcomed 100 exhibitors and well over 800 attendees who filled the education sessions, attended various association meetings and enthusiastically networked on the floor of the event’s ever-growing tradeshow. If you missed this year’s conference, be sure to mark your calendar for January 27–30, 2014, when the 54th VTC Annual Conference and Marketplace will be held at the Fredericksburg Expo Center.
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Thanks to Our Generous
2013 Conference Sponsors Platinum Sponsors Buy Sod Carolina Green Civitas Helena Chemical Horizon Sod Solutions Gold Sponsor BASF Bayer Environmental Science Egypt Farms, Inc. Lebanon Turf Phoenix Environmental Care Riverside Turf Sunbelt Rentals Silver Sponsor Johnston Seed Plant Food Co. Somerset Seed & Sod Bronze Sponsors Clarke Aquatic Services Scott Turf Equipment/LASTEC WinField Solutions Wednesday Cool-Season Golf Track Sponsor Billy Casper Golf Lunch Sponsor Ditch Witch of Virginia Wi-Fi Sponsor Southern States Cooperative Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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Recent Event continued
Congratulations to the
2012 VTC Award Winners R.D. Cake/Silver Tray Award
The VTC Award
Rod Youngman, Ph.D. | Virginia Tech
Tony Montgomery | Draper Valley Golf Club
(with Tom Tracy, left)
(with Frank Flannagan, left)
Friend of the Industry Award Kip Connelly | Landscape Supply (accepted by son Patrick Connelly)
VTC President’s Award Jeffrey E. Holliday, CGCS | Salisbury Country Club (with Frank Flannagan, left)
Lifetime Membership Award
Lifetime Membership Award
Tildon Hankley | Retired Golf Course Superintendent
Melissa Reynolds | Dura Turf Service Corp. and VTC Past President (with Frank Flannagan, right)
(accepted by Dick Fisher, right)
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Our Scholarship Winners Louis & Ginger Brooking Turfgrass Graduate Student Scholarship Michael Cox Virginia Tech Sudan Gyawaly Virginia Tech Chantel Wilson Virginia Tech
Thomas Hutcheson Jr. Memorial Scholarship William Kaempf Virginia Tech
Robert Ruff Sr. Memorial Scholarship Jeremy Parshall Virginia Tech Camden Shelton Virginia Tech
W.S. “Bill� Connelly Scholarship Bobby Estienne Virginia Tech
Schmidt Undergraduate Research Award Kevin Steele Virginia Tech
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Recent Event continued
Seen on the Tradeshow Floor!
Thanks to Our Exhibitors Agrium Advanced Technologies AQUA-AID Aquarius Irrigation Supply ARCTECH, Inc. Arysta LifeScience Corp. Ballard Sports Barenbrug USA BASF Bayer Environmental Science Below the Turf Buy Sod, Inc. Capital Sports Fields Cargotec USA, Inc. Clarke Aquatic Services Clear Vision, LLC Cleary Chemical Coggin Agronomic Solutions Collins Wharf Sod Davisson Golf DCR Ditch Witch Dow AgroSciences East Coast Sod & Seed Edward Jones Egypt Farms, Inc. Engage Agro USA E&S Equipment Finch Services/Revels First Products Fisher & Son Co. Floratine Products Group FMC Professional Solutions Foley Mfg. Fredericksburg Tourism Genesis Turfgrass Gowan Company H&H Farm Machine, Inc. Harmon Turf Services Holganix Horizon Innovative Turf Services John Deere Landscapes Kenneth Cominsky Kipps Nursery Landscape Supply Leading Edge Communications Lebanon Turf Luck Stone/ Specialty Products Magic Deicing McDonald Sons/ McDonald Design Group
McGill Compost Mid-Atlantic Assn. of GCS Mid-Atlantic Stihl MiniVerde Ultradwarf Newsom Seed Oakwood Sod Patten Seed/Super-Sod PBI Gordon Peebles Golf Car Sales/ Club Car Pennington Seed PGMS – VA Plant Food Company Port City Staffing, Inc. Prince William Home Improvement Quali-Pro RBB Sales & Consulting Rainbird Reddick Equipment Co. of NC, LLC Residex Richmond Landscape Contractors Riverside Turf Schaeffer Mfg. Co./FTG Scott Turf Equipment/LASTEC Smith Turf & Irrigation Sod Solutions Solitude Lake Management Solu-Cal-USA Southern States Cooperative Sports Aggregates STI Pre-Owned Equipment Sunbelt Rentals Syngenta TETAC Trinity Turf Turf & Garden TurfCare Valent U.S.A. VDACS Ventrac VGCSA/NGCOA VSTMA Watkins Nurseries/ VA Resources Recycled Weed Man Werres Corp. WinField Solutions, LLC Wood Bay Turf Technologies Woodward Turf Farms YardWorks, LLC
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Cover Story
Plant-Health Products:
An Overview of
How They Might Boost
Summer Stress Tolerance By Erik H. Ervin, Ph.D., Professor of Turfgrass Culture and Physiology, Dept. of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech
O
ver the last few years, plant health has been the buzzphrase in turfgrass management, especially golf turf. Why? Two reasons: first, we are in the postpatent age in terms of pesticide active ingredients, so chemical companies are funding large research and marketing programs aimed at adding value to their branded products. Second, advances in cultivars, mowing equipment and superintendent expertise have allowed for the maintenance of putting greens that are faster and firmer than ever. Practices such as ultra-low mowing heights and reduced nitrogen and irrigation inputs, however, may often result in putting green systems that begin to operate with a negative energy balance, especially during the summer. Many plant-health products are aimed at improving energy balance while still allowing for optimized putting green playability characteristics. The question is how? In what follows, I review cool-season plant physiologic responses to summer stress, with a focus on the natural plant defense systems against such stress, how a negative energy balance occurs and how certain classes of plant-health
products may or may not improve stress tolerance.
Healthy turf begins with efficient photosynthesis
Photosynthesis can be said to be the basic plant reaction: it produces the chemical energy (carbohydrates) required for all growth and maintenance processes. Anything that interferes with efficient photosynthesis will reduce the turf’s health and ability to deal with stress; anything that favors efficient photosynthesis, on the other hand, will bolster the turf’s health and ability to withstand and defend itself against stress. Plants consist of millions of cells, each of which contains organelles. Each type of organelle has a specific function. For example, chloroplasts capture light energy; the nucleus directs growth; and mitochondria burn (respire) energy to fuel growth. All cells and their organelles are suspended within a water-based solution and are bound by membranes. The membranes provide structural integrity while allowing substances to diffuse in and out as required for efficient growth and maintenance.
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Chloroplast membranes contain light-harvesting green pigments called chlorophyll, which forms complexes with proteins, called photosystems, in the chloroplast’s membranes. The photosystems capture light energy and turn it into chemical energy. Here’s how it works. Light hits a chlorophyll molecule and causes an electron within the chlorophyll to go to a higher energy level. The energy from these excited electrons is then used to split water and release more electrons. These electrons are then transferred through the proteinbased photosystems to produce energy in the form of NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) and ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). The plant uses this as energy to drive carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation and produce carbohydrates. Two stress-related dynamics in plant physiology are the production of free radicals and the production of antioxidants. Some antioxidants are a type of protein called enzymes, while others are vitamins. Free radicals disrupt key plant functions, and one of the key roles of antioxidants is to “deactivate” or “neutralize” these free radicals. The production of free
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Cover Story continued
radicals occurs even under optimum conditions, but it is significantly higher when conditions for photosynthesis are sub-optimal, such as during summer heat and/or drought stress.
Photosynthetic inefficiency
Even under optimum temperature, light and moisture conditions, there is waste in the system, resulting in inefficiencies and the production of free radicals in chloroplast photosystems. To remain healthy, the plant must deal with a number of toxic chemical emissions (similar to a car engine) or byproducts of photosystem function. Under less-than-optimal mowing height, temperature, light and moisture conditions, the inefficiencies will be greater. Why do these inefficiencies occur? Photosystems of plants that are completely dependent on a cool-season (or C3) photosynthetic pathway are not immediately capable of using all
the light-excited chlorophyll electrons. Generally, this inefficiency is due to the inability of the enzyme Rubisco to fix enough CO2 to utilize all of the available light for carbohydrate production. Although Rubisco preferentially fixes CO2, it also fixes O2 in a process called photorespiration. As temperatures build and stomatal openings narrow, the internal concentration of O2 increases relative to that of CO2, increasing photorespiration and the inefficiency of light capture. The unused excited electrons are either lost directly as heat or as a light emission called chlorophyll fluorescence, or they react with “good” (ground-state) oxygen (chemically represented as 3O2) and form free radicals such as “bad” singlet oxygen (1O2), the superoxide radical (xO2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Chlorophyll fluorescence is a natural phenomenon that is easily
A test plot showing the difference in turf without a pigment application (control, bottom) and with a pigment application (above)
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measured on turfgrass canopies with a chlorophyll fluorometer and converted to a standard measure in plant physiology called photochemical efficiency. Briefly, the more light being given off (or fluoresced) from the canopy, the less efficiently that light energy is being used by the photosystems to run the photosynthetic reactions and produce carbohydrates. Optimized turfgrass canopies have photochemical efficiencies of about 0.7, while those under stress are at 0.55 or below. If not quickly converted to water and ground-state oxygen by antioxidants, free radicals damage proteins and DNA; they also bleach chlorophyll and disrupt membrane integrity. Left unchecked, free radicals can lead to leaf yellowing and plant death.
Turf coping mechanisms
Healthy plants have a robust defense system that produces and maintains certain levels of antioxidants to “deactivate” or “neutralize” the damaging free radicals. To operate efficiently, this defense system requires favorable conditions and can be overwhelmed by stresses such as drought and heat, which increase the production of free radicals. And if the plant has low energy reserves, poor access to soil moisture or damaged root systems, it will often lack the ability to increase production of enough antioxidants (which are N- and C-rich compounds) to offset the increase in free radicals. The result is called oxidative stress, a primary factor in summer cool-season turfgrass decline. These complexities can lead to a “catch 22” situation. Energy status is naturally low because of higher rates of photorespiration in the summer. Couple this with the plant’s increased need for energy to produce more antioxidants to protect itself against summer oxidative stress, and it is no wonder that roots decline. Translocation of shoot-produced carbohydrate to roots in the summer comes to a standstill in favor of protecting the photosynthetic apparatus. Such a negative energy status appears overwhelming; how can any
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Cover Story continued
plant-health product counteract these processes? After a brief review of plant hormones and their role in directing energy use and defense response during stress, we’ll get to some answers.
Plant hormones and stress responses
Plant hormones can be thought of as the chemical signals that direct energy use and responses to environmental stimuli. The five primary hormones are cytokinins (CK), auxin, gibberellic acid (GA), abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene. Auxin, CK and GA are known as growth hormones, while ABA and ethylene are known as stress-response hormones. They can often work to counteract each other, in that shoot tissues with higher levels of one hormone relative to another will result in energy being directed toward one type of growth response over another. Two classic examples come from our use of plant growth regulators (PGRs). Inhibition of foliar GA production due to trinexapac-ethyl (Primo®, T-Nex®) results in less energy being used for leaf elongation, resulting in greater CK activity and the use of some of the conserved energy for enhanced cell division and tillering at the crown. Application of ethephon (Proxy) to Poa annua in the spring releases ethylene and antagonizes CK action, greatly restricting cell division from the apical meristem and reducing inflorescence development. These hormonal reactions are not simple on–off switches; rather, they should be understood as the primary signal that tells the plant to turn on a certain gene that, in turn, directs the plant to use energy to produce a set of proteins that then result in a particular growth (e.g., leaf elongation) or stress (antioxidants) response to occur. A final category that needs introduction is secondary plant hormones. For our purposes, we will merely introduce one — salicylic acid (SA), better known as aspirin. Its natural production is high in Salix or willow trees (thus the name), but it is produced
in most plant species, including turfgrasses. A primary role of SA is to induce what is known as systemic acquired resistance or SAR in response to pathogen (e.g., fungi, bacteria, nematode) infection. Infected or invaded cells produce SA, which then serves as the genetic signal to turn on localized production of antimicrobial compounds. The infected leaf cells are killed, along with the invading pathogen, which stops the spread of disease.
Plant Health Products: Review of Possible Benefits Groups 1 and 2: phosphites and pigments
We begin with one of the original plant-health products, Signature®, which is a combination of fosetyl-Al (a phosphite fungicide) and a bluegreen pigment (Stressgard®). Phosphite (PO3) fungicides and fertilizers have been documented to protect against moderate Pythium blight pressure via SAR. Foliar uptake of PO3 (rather than normal phosphate, PO4) sends a stress signal through the plant, resulting in the systemic production of higher levels of antimicrobial compounds called phytoalexins. These compounds do not directly kill the fungi; instead, they merely deter or slow infection. If Pythium pressure becomes high enough, the “naturally induced” tolerance provided by the phosphite is overcome, and a stronger Pythium fungicide is required. There is an energy cost to the plant, however, to produce the antimicrobial compounds caused by repeated phosphite application. This is where the pigment comes in. Research at Virginia Tech and Rutgers has shown that pigment application (every 7 to 14 days) blocks UV light (a huge contributor to free radical production), resulting in a greater maintenance of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment levels. More pigments for light absorption translates into slight increases in net photosynthesis (energy gain) and turf that maintains greater color and density under heat stress.
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Group 3: Turfscreen®
Turfscreen contains the same ingredients as common sunscreen (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide), and it also contains a blue-green pigment. These compounds are very effective absorbers of UV light; they work on us to not allow high free radical production in our skin that can destroy cells and cause sunburn. Adding the pigment, as above, should result in similar positive results. Some contend, even, that the resulting whitish-cast to the turf could result in lower mid-day canopy temperatures. Putting green research conducted by Virginia Tech in summer 2012 revealed no canopy temperature differences when blue-green pigments were compared to Turfscreen and the untreated control. More detailed research regarding the effects of Turfscreen on photosynthesis and other physiological responses is needed.
Group 4: Daconil Action®
Daconil Action is a new Sygenta product that combines chlorothalonil with acibenzolar. Acibenzolar has been shown to be a successful salicylic acid mimic that works to induce SAR and antimicrobial compounds within the plant. Kansas State research reported that acibenzolar applied alone on a 14-day interval resulted in 26% to 38% less dollar spot than the control. Virginia Tech research has shown that pre-treatment with salicylic acid prior to heat stress improved tolerance by temporarily boosting antioxidant levels. New research comparing acibenzolar to salicylic acid for improved heat tolerance is warranted, along with research regarding any role it might play in prevention or alleviation of the bacterial decline complex.
Group 5: Insignia®
Insignia (pyraclostrobin) is a broadspectrum strobilurin fungicide that multiple university trials have shown to provide plant-health benefits. Repeated applications have been shown to slow down respiration (less energy loss) and result in boosted antioxidant content under heat and
Cover Story continued
drought stress. Also interesting is the finding that the active ingredient naturally degrades to the amino acid tryptophan, which is the precursor to the plant-rooting hormone auxin. In fact, University of Tennessee research reported increased Penn A1 root mass following three applications (at 14-day intervals) under mild drought stress, as compared to the untreated control and azoxystrobin. Given these possible benefits of repeated Insignia use, why not use it as a base in your seasonal fungicide program? Because pathogen resistance to strobilurins has already been reported. A better approach may be to use it twice in the spring as a preventative to Pythium root dysfunction (P. volutum), with the thought that it may increase your greens’ rooting and pre-stress conditioning for the summer. Rotate off Insignia for six to eight weeks, and then consider one or two later summer applications.
Group 6: Humics and auxin
Stable fractions of organic matter, called humic and fulvic acids (HA and FA), are common ingredients in many biostimulant fertilizers. These organic compounds, mainly from leonardite soft brown coal, are excellent chelators, holding micronutrients in solution in the container, spray tank and soil. Thus, they function to improve plant micronutrient uptake. Another important plant-health function is that they mimic the effects of auxin to promote root growth and drought tolerance. Research at Virginia Tech comparing foliar application of HA to a synthetic auxin (IBA) demonstrated similar rooting increases of cool-season grasses when these two compounds were compared to the untreated control. In fact, some turflabeled products contain synthetic auxin (IBA). It is important to apply these compounds prior to summer stress so that extra rooting can occur before the plant is in an energydepleted state.
Group 7: Seaweed extracts and cytokinins (CK) Look at the ingredient list of almost
any biostimulant, and you will see seaweed extract (SWE), seaplant extract or kelp extract. These extracts primarily come from using potassium hydroxide in warm water to break down the tissues of Ascophyllum nodosum (North Atlantic rockweed). Along with HA, why is SWE so often found in biostimulants? Early research (1990s) by Dr. Dick Schmidt at Virginia Tech indicated that repeated monthly application of SWE resulted in boosted antioxidant levels in leaf tissues, less loss of root viability and improved drought and heat tolerance. But we did not understand why. My research in the 2000s revealed that SWE is naturally high in cytokinins (CK). When we compared the natural amount of CK present in SWE to the application of a synthetic CK, we were able to show similar increases in antioxidant levels, roots and overall heat tolerance. What is special about the role of CKs in summer stress tolerance? First, apart from their role in cell division to bring about new tillering and inflorescence development, CKs are known as the “stay-green hormone.” When high levels of CKs are present in leaf tissues, they turn on the production of antioxidants that then function to stabilize chlorophyll and allow longer-term photosynthetic energy production during stress. CKs are produced in new, actively growing roots and move upward to perform their antioxidant function via the transpiration stream. Summer root decline severely reduces CK levels being delivered to shoots from roots, so supplementation via SWE application prior to and during summer stress can boost CK levels and slightly improve stress resistance. Interestingly, our research has shown that combining HA and SWE in your spray program can provide better plant-health effects than using either alone.
Group 8: Amino acids
The building blocks of proteins, amino acids are the direct product of nitrogen assimilation and can become depleted under low-N fer-
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tility programs or just due to summer stress. Considerable energy is required to produce amino acids and then to combine those to make complex proteins that have many stress-defense functions. Supplementation of amino-acid levels via foliar applications is a suggested approach to improve the health of plants experiencing energy depletion. Penn State research reported improved photochemical efficiency and overall heat tolerance due to sequential foliar applications of an amino acid-based product. Recent Virginia Tech research has shown greater maintenance of chlorophyll and tiller density, relative to an equivalent rate of ammonium sulfate-based N, under moderate drought stress on a sand-based putting green. Although these responses may be due to getting the plant into a more positive energy state, a number of amino acids or derivatives function as direct osmo-regulators or dehydrationavoidance compounds. These compounds (proline and glycine-betaine, in particular) often increase naturally by 10-fold in the cells of droughttolerant plants. They function to increase cell sap concentration, not allowing as much water loss from the cell, so that normal protein functions within the chloroplast can continue.
Conclusions
Yes, the subject of plant-health products is complex and confusing! My hope is that this article has been able to explain some of the complexity and provide some “food for thought” as you evaluate these product groups. Many products have something legitimate to offer, and it is no wonder that the spray tank often ends up with three or more products in it. In the end, however, please remember that none of these ingredients is a silver bullet. Focus first on excellence in your mowing, fertilizing, watering, cultivation, topdressing and primary pest-control programs, and then look to plant-health products to get to the next level. c
Index of Advertisers Alliance..................................................... 11 www.alliancemat.com Aqua-Aid, Inc............................................ 19 www.aquaaid.com BASF......................................................... 25 www.basf.com Bayer........................................................... 5 www.bayerprocentral.com Buy Sod...........................Inside Back Cover www.buysod.com Capitol Sports Fields............................... 13 www.capitolsportsfields.com Chantilly Turf Farms, Inc.......................... 9 www.chantillyturffarms.com Collins Wharf Sod Farm.......................... 14 www.collinswharfsod.com Colonial Farm Credit............................... 12 www.colonialfarmcredit.com Egypt Farms Inc....................................... 25 www.egyptfarms.com Ernst Conservation Seeds.......................... 9 www.ernstseed.com Fisher & Son Company Inc..................... 27 www.fisherandson.com FMC Professional Solutions...................... 3 www.fmcprosolutions.com Gowan Company...................................... 21 www.gowanco.com Leading Edge Communications.............. 29 www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com Luck Stone Corporation.......................... 19 www.luckstone.com Mid Atlantic Sports Turf......................... 15 Modern Turf, Inc..................................... 11 www.modernturf.com Oakwood Sod Farm, Inc......................... 29 www.oakwoodsod.com RBB Sales & Consulting, Inc.................. 13 www.rbbturflandscapeconsultants.com Southern States Cooperative.................. Inside Front Cover www.southernstates.com The Turfgrass Group........... 7, Back Cover www.theturfgrassgroup.com Winfield Solutions, LLC.......................... 14 Woodward Turf Farms Inc...................... 25 www.woodwardturf.com Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council
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News from Virginia Tech
VT Students Place Third in
National STMA Competition
E
ach year, the national Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) conducts a “Student Challenge” competition for teams from two- and four-year university programs located across America. The threehour test consists of sections on sports-field management topics such as turfgrass identification, insects, diseases and weeds, infield maintenance, fertility, cultivation and irrigation, as well as a written problem-solving case study. The challenge is divided into two groups: the two-year and four-year programs. At the 2013 competition held in Daytona Beach Florida, Virginia Tech’s team of four-year students placed third out of 28 teams and missed winning the National Championship by only four points. The VT team placed second in
STMA President Dr. Mike Goatley with the 3rd place Virginia Tech team of (left to right) Robert Estienne, Logan Horne, Charlie Krips and Jeremy Atkins.
2011 and third in 2012 — quite a three-year run for the students! Virginia Tech has competed in the “Student Challenge” since it started in 2005. The students are members of the Virginia Tech Turfgrass Club, which is advised by Dr. Erik Ervin and Sam Doak. The teams receive travel funds from the Virginia Sports Turf Managers Association, Virginia Turfgrass Council and the newly endowed Professor John Shoulders Memorial travel fund. c
Turfgrass Calendar April 23
June 3
July 22–25
Laurel Hill Golf Course Lorton, VA
Wintergreen Resort / Stoney Creek Golf Course Wintergreen, VA
(Turfgrass Producers International) Chicago, IL
May 7
June 11
August 18–22
Comfort Suites Glen Allen, VA
Northampton Community Center Hampton, VA
Pesticide Recertification and Certified Fertilizer Applicator
Pesticide Recertification and Certified Fertilizer Applicator
May 21
Pesticide Recertification and Certified Fertilizer Applicator
Gymnasium in Gypsy Hill Park Staunton, VA
Bob Ruff Jr. Memorial Research Golf Tourn.
Pesticide Recertification and Certified Fertilizer Applicator
June 25
Hampton Roads AREC Turfgrass Field Day, Pesticide Recertification and Certified Fertilizer Applicator
TPI Summer Convention & Field Days
StormCon — 2013 Conference The Stormwater Pollution Prevention Conference
Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Myrtle Beach, NC
August 27–28 Turfgrass Field Days
Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
Hampton Roads AREC Virginia Beach, VA
30 | Virginia Turfgrass Journal March/April 2013 www.vaturf.org
January 27–30, 2014 VTC 54th Annual Turf & Landscape Conference and Trade Show
Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center Fredericksburg, VA