Golfdom, March 2018

RESEARCH FOR REAL SUPERINTENDENTS Hosted by Clark Throssell Ph D clarkthrossell@ bresnan net Super Science TIPTOEING THROUGH THE DAFFODILS SPRING BULBS ADD COLOR TO DORMANT WARM SEASON TURF By Michelle Wisdom and Mike Richardson Ph D W arm season turfgrasses in the Transition Zone can go dormant for up to six months of the year Early spring bulbs add color to dormant lawns yet their persistence in the turfgrass environment largely is unknown In addition to aesthetics flowering bulbs might also provide early season forage for honeybees and other pollinators The objectives of this study were to investigate early spring bulbs in warm season turfgrasses to gauge their flowering and persistence and evaluate whether these bulbs can also provide early season forage and habitat for pollinators We chose bulbs based on their established flower heights less than 6 inches and their ability to flower prior to mowing warm season lawns Thirty species and or cultivars of flowering bulbs were planted in November of 2015 in Fayetteville Ark We established bulbs in both bermudagrass Cynodon dactylon cv Riviera and buffalograss Buchloe dactyloides cv Cody simulated lawns mowed at 3 inches We established each bulb entry with 25 bulbs per plot and evaluated performance over the spring flowering periods of 2016 and 2017 Bulbs bloomed from mid January through May in both years of the trial Bulbs that performed well over the two years included entries of daffodil Narcissus spp Crocus photo and grape hyacinth Muscari spp Blooming and persistence was slightly better in the buffalograss lawn presumably because of more competition in the bermudagrass turf Best early season pollinator sources included entries of grape hyacinth and Crocus These results demonstrate that several early spring bulbs can provide color to dormant warm season turf and food resources for early season pollinators Michelle Wisdom and Mike Richardson Ph D are at the University of Arkansas You may reach Mike Richardson at mricha@ uark edu for more information NEWS UPDATES NUFARM RECEIVES EPA REGISTRATION FOR TRACTION FUNGICIDE Nufarm Americas has been granted federal EPA registration for Traction fungicide Based on the combination of FRAC 29 and FRAC 3 active ingredients Fluazinam and Tebuconazole Traction fungicide was developed as a new management tool for disease control and resistance management in cool and warm season golf course turf This proprietary combination provides fast and exceptional disease control on a wide range of foliar diseases said Jason Fausey Nufarm Turf Ornamentals technical services director This product will be a real asset to golf courses especially in hot humid summertime conditions Traction fungicides dual actives work on contact and systemically within the plant to provide effective broad spectrum control of 19 turf diseases and algal scum Available in a premix formula it has been shown to provide strong performance against disease pressure from anthracnose dollar spot brown patch and snow mold across field trials in various settings the company said The fact that Traction is an easy to use premix fungicide that can be applied in the summertime to any golf terrain means significant time savings for superintendents said Fausey Traction can be applied on all golf course settings including fairways tees and greens THE INJURY AREA ASSOCIATED WITH SPILLS OF THESE MACHINE FLUIDS EXPANDED WITH TIME TO A MAXIMUM INJURY AREA THEN CONTRACTED WITH TIME AS HEALING OF TURF BEGAN Lee Berndt Ph D see story on page 36 March 2018 Golfdom 35 Golfdom com PHOTO BY MIKE RICHARDSON PH D Crocus Crysanthus cv Cream Beauty flowering in a dormant buffalograss lawn