Turfgrass Extension Program Essay Example for Free

Turfgrass Extension Program Essay I have spent many fruitful years amassing experience in the turfgrass industry and have 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 Foundation—to which I gave five years of service—and as an active team member of Turfgrass Extension Program at University of Wisconsin and University of Massachusetts—where I served for two years. In addition to this, I have approached research and extension from the standpoint of stakeholders for whom I serve as a provider of information 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 timely manner. It is my belief that any successful turfgrass pathology program must retain its relevance to pique and enhance users’ interest. Furthermore, such a program must also convey information in layperson terms in order to facilitate comprehension by diverse audiences, which will aid in the application of this information to their specific situations. I also strongly believe that the provided information will be more meaningful when it is based on solid research and evaluated under similar local environmental conditions. Wisconsin boasts unique and interesting climate conditions, having hot and humid summers but cold and snowy 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 needs to be protected from both summer and winter pathogens. The primary foci of my research are in two areas: on the â€Å"dollar spot† caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa and on the snow molds caused by Microdochium nivale, Typhula incarnata, and Typhula ishikariensis (Abernathy, et al., 2001). Dollar spot and snow molds are the most economically important fungal diseases on highly-cared-for turfgrass in Wisconsin, and they respectively occur during the summer and winter. Although with a proper 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 fungicide. Various fungicides, or often tank-mixtures of fungicides, are commonly applied preventatively and/or curatively. Recently, however, turfgrass managers have been left with fewer options as it regards fungicides. Fungicide use has become stricter due 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-registration. In addition, the release of new fungicides now decreases due to low margin of profit, considering the cost of development and registration. In addition, intensively managed fungal pathogens have been reported to develop insensitivity to fungicide, causing reduction of fungicide efficacy in the field. Development of management strategies to use fungicides more effectively with a minimal risk of causing fungicide insensitivity is now a critical and urgent need for the current turfgrass industry. The achievement of this goal depends on specific factors. A population instead of an individual must be the target of control strategies, because it is the fungal population that evolves to survive in an environment that is experiences constant changes as a result of agricultural practices. Therefore, the primary interest of my research is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the pathogen population and its dynamics in the turfgrass agrosystem. This research is also directly linked to the extension of the new practical knowledge about disease management toward stakeholders in the state. For the comprehensive study about fungal population, I have developed three key assay tools for S. homoeocarpa. The first (1st) is the in vitro fungicide sensitivity assay using predetermined discriminatory concentrations; the second (2nd) is the PCR-based DNA fingerprinting technique; and the third (3rd) is the vegetative compatibility assay using nitrate 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 different 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 fast 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 critical information for developing and implementing effective dollar-spot control measures. My future research will focus on investigating 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 geared to augment the outstanding 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 pest 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 number 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 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 carefully 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 following: The in vitro fungicide sensitivity assay for major systemic fungicides (e.g., benzimidazole and demethylation inhibitor) to which insensitivity is commonly found in turfgrass pathogens Molecular 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. Hale   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (2001). â€Å"Dollar Spot Resistance among Blends of Creeping Bentgrass Cultivars.† Crop    Science. 31: 806-809.