PITCHCARE CLASSIFIEDS AGRONOMY


Maximising the quality of winter turf surfaces


(Fludioxonil makes dormant spores burst) allows for greater consideration of eff ective application timing. For example; given this knowledge, it is clear that an application of Fludioxonil once spores have germinated and then infected a plant, thereby causing visible signs of damage is somewhat akin to bolting the proverbial door once the horse has bolted.


This winter is likely to be a roller coaster of peaks in growing potential for both grass plant and fungal pathogen alike, followed by dips of activity, fi rst in the plant and then in the fungal pathogen as temperatures fall. Pitchcare Senior Technical Manager, James Grundy, investigates


The forecast for early winter is for fl uctuations. Periods of unseasonably mild weather interspersed with cold snaps. Cold spells are predicted to occur throughout January and February once the storage heater eff ect of the North Sea’s residual summer heat has receded such that it can no longer aff ect a warming eff ect upon cold easterly air streams moving across the British Isles.


Looking at the pros and cons of each scenario they can broadly be summed up thus;


Warmer Period


Pros: If soil temperatures rise above 10°C, then good growth will promote recovery on disease scars and worn areas, as well as push along seeded areas following renovation events during early autumn.


Cons: Warmer conditions which promote growth can encourage fungal diseases, especially when they occur alongside high relative humidity and low air movement.


Colder Period


Pros: Once temperatures drop to zero or below fungal diseases will also draw to a halt.


Cons: Grass growth stops once soil temperatures hit low single fi gures, thus reducing recovery and establishment growth. In addition, cold conditions place an abiotic stress demand on the plant leaf tissues.


Sitting somewhere between warmer and colder are what can be defi ned as cooler periods where temperatures sit between 5 and 10°C. It is these periods when the grass plants metabolic systems are beginning to grind to a halt but the fungal pathogens systems are still driving onward that surfaces are at high risk of becoming infected with diseases such as Microdochium nivale.


Following the withdrawal from use of iprodione in June of this year, and consequently the formulations Chipco Green and Interface, this disease season marks the fi rst year turf mangers are faced without a fungicide which will target visibly active Microdochium nivale and stop it in its tracks. Instead, the active substances available need to be applied to surfaces before disease is active, non more so than the active substance Fludioxonil.


Fludioxonil is an antisporulant which acts upon dormant spores on the plant surface and in the rootzone. Fludioxonil interferes with the water pressure in fungal spores causing them to burst and die before prevailing environmental conditions are suitable for promoting their germination. Due to the fact that it does this outside of the plants physical structure Fludioxonil does not have a systemic action which requires plant metabolic function to become eff ective. Rather Fludioxonil operates outside the plant when it comes into direct contact with dormant fungal spores.


Understanding the basic principle of a relatively straightforward mechanism by which an active substance operates upon a fungal pathogen


154 PC December/January 2019


On the fl ip side, an application of Fludioxonil prior to an outbreak of fungal disease – as the result of reference to historical records and checking of upcoming weather patterns and forecasts which indicate disease is highly likely to occur – would serve to remove dormant spores eagerly lying in wait for conditions to favour them.


Additionally, combining the antisporulant action of Fludioxonil alongside the plant cell wall strengthening action of foliar calcium would further help to fi ght off disease by providing the plant itself with the resources it requires to bolster its defences.


Combining these actions, with good old- fashioned principles of aeration ie allow the soil to respire, carry out dew removal to inhibit the fungal pathogens ability to grow and infect across the leaf surface and you have before you the core fundamentals of an Integrated Pest Management Plan for combating fungal diseases on sports turf in December.


One quick word on soil water management; Where surfaces are prone to water logging, then consider the use of a penetrant wetting agent to drive moisture away from the surface. Not only will this reduce surface humidity helping to mitigate pathogen attack, it will also allow the soil to maintain eff ective respiration which reduces stress on the plant and helps to maintain populations of benefi cial microorganisms.


Finally, be sure to investigate areas which were dry in the summer. Do not presume moisture will have yet penetrated at depth, and consider that if not suffi ciently rehydrated over the winter, soils will start drier in the spring. Should another dry summer come to pass the onset of water stress will become apparent sooner, again a penetrant wetting agent will help to alleviate this problem.


When looking back at weather records over the past forty-fi ve years, summer 2018 may be considered something of a freak occurrence. However, inspection of weather records over the past fi ve to ten years indicates such extremes are becoming more and more common. The lesson then is not to presume spring and summer 2019 will be any diff erent to 2018; it may very well turn out that way.


As always, prior consideration and then adequate preparation for a range of potential extreme scenarios is paramount to maximising sustained quality of turf surfaces throughout any given year.


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