Pests & Diseases
BTME 2017 Continue to Learn Seminar presenter, Daniel Lightfoot MG MSc, of Syngenta outlined his approach to Designing a Pro-Active Fungicide Programme, developed in conjunction with Lee Strutt MG PGdip, Course Manager at the Royal Automobile Club in Surrey, to meet his specific demands. Daniel explains his approach
R
isk management in designing a fungicide programme for your golf course or stadium needs to consider factors other than just the chance of disease attacks.
There is also the risk to the reputation and financial cost to the club if lost turf quality hits income streams, along with the risk for the greenkeeping team, if things go wrong. Turf disease pathogens are ever present in
every turf surface. However, they typically only become an issue when conditions are such that populations are able to increase and develop, to the extent that the pathogens’ impact on turf health causes plant die-back and scars on the playing surface - which affects ball roll and visual aesthetics Cultural controls to maintain environmental
conditions that are unfavourable to specific disease development, along with inputs to promote plant health that can better cope with low level pathogen infection, can reduce the impact of disease. The complex interaction of cultural
controls to consider in the Integrated Turf Management programme include:
• Fertility • Irrigation • Drainage • Light and air •Thatch • Height of cut • Mechanical damage •Turf species
However, managing turf in an intensive golf course or stadium situation creates artificial conditions that are all too often highly conducive to disease pathogens. Managing turf to the consistent high quality demanded by today’s players has only increased the pressure on turf plants, and turf managers. You still need to get all the cultural controls
as right as possible, within the constraints of the demands for turf quality. But, inevitably, there will be times when turf will need the added protection of a proactive fungicide programme to maintain turf quality through high risk periods. If you have a history of anthracnose
outbreaks in the summer and there is a forecast for hot, dry weather, for example, it would be ideal to ease off mowing, raise the height of cut and take the stress off plants to reduce the risk. But, if that week coincides with the Captain’s Cup and a prestigious week for the club, it may not be possible. You can still make every cultural effort to minimise the effect of stressful conditions but, if that is not practical, a pro-active fungicide treatment, ahead of disease outbreak, is going to offer plants effective protection. Furthermore, even after all the cultural
controls, disease can still break out if conditions are right. On a parkland course, for example, trees are an essential part of the design and pleasure, but will inevitably result in shaded areas with reduced air flow that are more susceptible to disease. These physical limitations to cultural controls make fungicides an essential further tool in the defence strategy.
PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 I 117
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