Golfdom, May 2014

RESEARCH FOR REAL SUPERINTENDENTS Hosted by Clark Throssell Ph D clarkthrossell@ bresnan net Super Science CAUTION OIL SPILL NEWS UPDATES HYDRAULIC OIL SPILLS ON HYBRID BERMUDAGRASS GREENS PERFORMANCE NUTRITION ENTERS William L Berndt Ph D H ydraulic oil injures turf Vegetable based hydraulic oil is marketed as being less toxic to turf than petroleum based hydraulic oil If this is true then healing times from vegetable based hydraulic oil spills should be shorter Research is being conducted at The Golf Club at Magnolia Landing Course in North Fort Myers Fla to determine healing times for spills of petroleumbased and vegetable based hydraulic oil When 3 mL 1 mL is equal to 02 teaspoon of each oil was applied to Tifeagle hybrid bermudagrass mowed at 010 inches in December 2013 visible injury persisted for greater than 106 days Injury area due to petroleum oil expanded to 84 square inches 36 days after application then contracted to 36 square inches by 81 days after application Modeling indicated that the relationship between the injury area and the time predicted is a healing time of 108 days In contrast the injury area due to vegetable oil expanded to 62 square inches 10 days after application contracting to 33 square inches 81 days after application with a predicted healing time of 115 days As of day 106 visible injury was still evident for both oils though substantial healing had occurred Reduced healing times were not observed for vegetable based oil spills occurring during this minimal growth period This experiment is being repeated during an active growth period beginning March 2014 Additional research involving NDVI measurements and image analysis of hydraulic oil injury is also being conducted William L Berndt Ph D Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers Fla Lee can be reached at leeberndt@ aol com for more information INTO AGREEMENT WITH EC GROW Performance Nutrition of Hazlet N J has entered into an exclusive agreement with EC Grow of Eau Claire Wis to produce and market a fertilizer in 23 states that is preblended with NutriSmart eco fertilizer humate soil amendment It will be sold under EC Grows Award Turf fertilizer brand for the turf and ornamental market A patented environmentally friendly granular eco fertilizer humate soil amendment NutriSmart contains beneficial microbes that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere solubilize phosphate and unlock potassium from the soil Its smart technology creates a balance of nutrients that make applied fertilizer more efficient and can replace up to 30 percent of soil applied N P and K We are seeing more states regulate the amount of nitrogen they will allow per application By adding NutriSmart to our Award Turf Fertilizer blend we can reduce the amount of nitrogen by up to 30 percent and achieve similar quality and color says Chris Bluemke marketing manager for EC Grow We are always looking for valueadded products to bring to the T O market NutriSmart is a good fit for us because its clean consistent and easy to work with MY GOAL IS NOT TO FRIGHTEN SUPERINTENDENTS BUT TO EDUCATE ON ALL THE FACTORS THAT ENCOMPASS FUNGICIDE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Jim Kerns Ph D see full story on page 42 May 2014 Golfdom 41 Golfdom com PHOTO BY LEE BERNDT Top photo is petroleum based oil injury and bottom is vegetable based oil injury at 14 days after application Note the color difference of the injured turf between the two spills