Turfgrass Extension Program Essay Example for Free

Turfgrass Extension syllabus EssayI have spent many fruitful years amassing experience in the turfgrass patience and have highly-developed an immense interest in and respect for this field of inquiry. In keeping with this, I have been involved in research and extension activities supporting the turfgrass industry both as a student member of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundationto which I gave five years of serviceand as an active squad member of Turfgrass Extension Program at University of Wisconsin and University of Massachusettswhere I served for 2 years. In addition to this, I have approached research and extension from the standpoint of stakeholders for whom I serve as a reserver of selective learning and technology within the turfgrass industry. I have also operated in the office of facilitator of continuing education for turfgrass growers and managers, upon whom I have striven to impress the value that turfgrass clientele deserve individualized service in a punctual manner. It is my belief that any successful turfgrass pathology program must retain its relevance to pique and enhance users interest. Furthermore, such(prenominal) a program must also convey information in layperson terms in order to facilitate comprehension by diverse audiences, which go out aid in the application of this information to their specific situations. I also strongly believe that the provided information pass on be more substantive when it is based on solid research and evaluated under similar local environmental conditions.Wisconsin boasts unique and raise climate conditions, having hot and humid summertimes but cold and puffy winters. This makes it therefore necessary that turfgrass grown in this state to be sustained and managed in two very extreme weather conditions. Consequently, such turfgrass take to be protected from both summer and winter pathogens. The primary foci of my research are in two areas on the dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa and on the one C molds caused by Microdochium nivale, Typhula incarnata, and Typhula ishikariensis (Abernathy, et al., 2001).Dollar spot and snow molds are the nearly(prenominal) economically important fungal diseases on highly-cared-for turfgrass in Wisconsin, and they respectively occur during the summer and winter. Although with a victorian fertility program along with sound cultural practices does succeed in alleviating some of the disease pressure, management of these diseases on manicured turfgrass heavily relies on antimycotic. mixed fungicides, or often tank-mixtures of fungicides, are usually applied preventatively and/or curatively.Recently, however, turfgrass managers have been left with fewer options as it regards fungicides. Fungicide use has become stricter cod to concerns related to environmental, human, and animal health. Old chemistry (e.g., PCNB and anilazine) widely used for turfgrass diseases was requested due to regulatory or voluntary cancellation of re-registrati on. In addition, the release of new fungicides now decreases due to low margin of profit, considering the cost of using and registration. In addition, intensively managed fungal pathogens have been reported to develop in predisposition to fungicide, causing reduction of fungicide efficacy in the field.Development of management strategies to use fungicides more impellingly with a minimal peril of causing fungicide insensitivity is now a captious and urgent need for the current turfgrass industry. The proceeding of this goal depends on specific factors. A population instead of an individual must be the charge of control strategies, because it is the fungal population that evolves to survive in an environment that is experiences constant changes as a conduct of agricultural practices. Therefore, the primary interest of my research is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the pathogen population and its kinetics in the turfgrass agrosystem. This research is also directly li nked to the extension of the new practical knowledge most disease management toward stakeholders in the state.For the comprehensive study about fungal population, I have developed three keystone assay tools for S. homoeocarpa. The first (1st) is the in vitro fungicide sensitivity assay using influence discriminatory concentrations the second (2nd) is the PCR-based DNA fingerprinting technique and the third (3rd) is the vegetative compatibility assay using treat non-utilizing (nit) mutants. Based on this technique and methodology, I have conducted research and compiled data on the structure and dynamics of S. homoeocarpa field populations in Wisconsin and Massachusetts since 2005 up to the present.S. homoeocarpa populations on turfgrass where diametrical management practices had been applied has been shown to be significantly different in term of genetic variability and fungicide sensitivity. For example, the population on the fairway was very different from one on the adjacent rough or putting green. In addition, the dollar-spot population changed relatively lush in response to fungicide application. Particularly, benzimidazole fungicide thiophanate-methyl caused the fungal population to rapidly shift to fungicide insensitivity.Various unique cultural and fungicide practices used on turfgrass surely affect the fungal population, and this proves to be deprecative information for developing and implementing effective dollar-spot control measures. My future research will focus on canvas how the fungal population changes in response to different agricultural input as well as environmental factors on turfgrass, and these activities include mowing, irrigation, and the use of fertilizers and fungicides. Further long-term research on the S. homoeocarpa population will increase knowledge about the population dynamics of phytopathogenic fungi on perennial gramineous plants, where few or no previous studies have been conducted.My extension in Wisconsin will be g eared to augment the expectant efforts of the current turfgrass extension program. First of all, the Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab (TDL) will be used as a pipeline for getting information to the clientele in the state. Fast and accurate disease diagnosis is the key to successful disease control. Timely diagnosis of turfgrass samples and recommendation of proper treatments is recognized to be of utmost importance, and will therefore be promptly and directly offered for the benefit of the turfgrass industry. Communication with the clientele via phone, site visits and consultations also provides critical feedback to identify imminent problems and needs faced by the turfgrass industry.The key element of extension project is that proper fungicide programs will be developed and provided to the turfgrass industry as an important element of integrated gent management (IPM). The use of fungicide is requisite for managing turfgrass diseases below the tolerance level, which is usually very low on intensively managed turfgrass. At the same time, fungicide must be used with a minimal result of applications and at a proper concentration to minimize its destructive effect on the environment. Therefore the most effective fungicides must first be selected for targeted pathogen species.For example, for three major fungal species causing snow molds, certain(a) fungicides provided better control for certain species but not for other species. Such distinctions would lead to the choice of the most effective fungicide(s) for each species. Second, the fungicide sensitivity level of the local pathogen population should also precede fungicide selection. At the location where insensitive fungal isolates are found, corresponding fungicides must be avoided or guardedly used in combination with other effective fungicides.In order to make the consultation of effective fungicide programs informative and accessible to the public, the TDL service will be supplemented with the followingThe in v itro fungicide sensitivity assay for major systemic fungicides (e.g., benzimidazole and demethylation inhibitor) to which insensitivity is commonly found in turfgrass pathogensMolecular diagnosis for snow mold fungi using DNA fingerprinting technology as well as phenotypic characteristics to achieve accurate identification of causal agents.In the future, my extension program will design and provide customized fungicide programs for individual locations based on more comprehensive information about the pathogen population.Abernathy, S.D., R.H. White, P.F. Colbaugh, M.C. Engelke, G.R. Taylor, II and T.C. compress (2001). Dollar Spot Resistance among Blends of Creeping Bentgrass Cultivars. Crop Science. 31 806-809.