February 27th
8:30 Registration
9:00- 11:30 Education
11:30-12:15 Lunch
12:15-2:00 Education
Title: Soil Nutrient Analyses: What Do These Numbers Mean? Tyler Carr, Ph.D.,
Session description: Turfgrasses require sufficient levels of at least 16 nutrients to produce a surface that resists diseases, weeds, and insects, reducing pesticide use. This session will outline the importance of soil nutrient analyses, methods for collecting and submitting samples, and how to interpret the report. Ultimately, attendees will be able to create a fertilizer program that produces a healthy turfgrass system, which is a critical component in any IPM program.
Title: Annual Bluegrass Weevil: Biology, Monitoring and Management, Shaohui Wu, Ph.D.
Description: The annual bluegrass weevil is a pest with significant concerns in short-mown turf. Being first detected in the 1950’s in Long Island, this pest has spread dramatically in the past decades, and it has been reported in many Ohio golf courses in recent a few years. This talk focuses on the biology, monitoring techniques, pesticide resistance, and current management strategies for optimizing control of this pest. In particular, different pesticide options and timing of applications will be discussed.
Do green pigments still play a role in summer stress management?, Dominic Petrella, Ph.D.
The use of green pigment products came to use in the late 1990’s and grew in popularity in the early to mid-2000’s. These products are often touted to reduce general summer stress, therefore helping reduce associated pest pressures; however, pigment products seemed to have lost some traction. Do these products still fit into a summer spray program? Attendees will learn about natural plant pigments and synthetic pigment products used in plant health management programs; how these synthetic pigments may reduce photodegradation of pesticides and how green pigments can increase plant health during summer stress periods.
Low-input management of rough and high-cut turf – 2023 data from across Ohio, Dominic Petrella, Ph.D.
Low-input turfrgass management is a catch-all phrase used to describe the general reduction in maintenance, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation applied to turfrgasses. Low-input management can, however, change depending on the location and the expectations of the customers. Attendees will learn about low-input management research being conducted across the State of Ohio including how low nitrogen fertilizer rates influence pest pressure.