Research

Removing coarse topdressing sand from greens

June 4, 2019 By James Murphy, Ph.D. and Hui Chen

Superintendents use topdressing to manage thatch accumulation and maintain smooth putting green surfaces. However, they often avoid topdressing during the growing season because residual coarse sand may interfere with play and dull mower blades. A field study was initiated in ...

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On the lookout for nematodes

May 31, 2019 By Clark Throssell, Ph.D.

Clark Throssell interviews Jim Kerns, Ph.D., about nematodes. Kerns is a turfgrass pathologist at North Carolina State University. In addition to conducting research on turfgrass diseases, Kerns and his team devote considerable time to understanding nematodes, the problems they cause ...

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Half-life is not the whole story

May 28, 2019 By Rick Latin, Ph.D.

There’s been a fair amount of chatter lately about fungicide half-life and what it means for disease control and fungicide resistance risk. Half-life is the time required for a substance to be broken down into half the original amount. It ...

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Compost amendment (Photo: Pete Landschoot)

Compost amendments on the golf course

May 7, 2019 By Pete Landschoot, Ph.D.

If you are a golf course superintendent struggling with poor or marginal soils, compost amendments may provide some relief. A good-quality compost can improve structure in soils with a high amount of clay, reduce compaction and increase infiltration. Amending compost ...

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Meet Chrissie Segars, the new Extension turfgrass specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife

April 22, 2019 By Chrissie A. Segars, Ph.D.

Hello, turf lovers! My name is Chrissie Segars, and I am the new Extension turfgrass specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife in Dallas. I grew up in a small town of fewer than 1,000 people in South Carolina, where the peaches ...

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Effects of monthly urea applications (Photo: Emily Braithwaite)

Microdochium patch disease development

March 28, 2019 By Brian McDonald, Alec Kowalewski, Ph.D., Clint Mattox, Ph.D. and Emily Braithwaite

Microdochium patch (Microdochium nivale) can severely damage annual bluegrass turf when it’s cool and wet for long periods. This disease has been controlled with fungicides, but applications of urea to reduce wear from golfer traffic have been known to incite ...

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