TECHNICAL
Sugars may be exuded in
greater quantity at seedling stage, potentially attracting a broad range of microbes during plant infancy
through and considerate.
If possible, limit the use of plant protection products (PPP) as much as possible. Clearly not requiring PPPs is an ideal scenario, but in some situations that may be entirely unrealistic without significant grass failure or unacceptable levels of pest/disease outbreak. An Integrated Pest Management strategy should be in place and, following that process, applying a Fungicide or similar should be the last step anyway. For many, using PPPs is not affordable so isn’t an option. In some cases, tolerable levels of pest or disease incidence can be achieved using sound cultural, mechanical and biological practice.
Biostimulants and Plant Health Elicitors are viewed as sustainable alternatives, or supplements to chemical fertilisers, and in some instances fungicides. They are typically applied at low rates compared to fertilisers but are often expensive in comparison. Biostimulants differ from fertilisers in so much as they attempt to improve plant development or health without reliance on essential nutrients. They do this by interacting with plant signalling
pathways, reducing the onset of stress, or promotion of existing/introduction of new beneficial microbial communities. A huge range of biostimulants are available for use, the following list is not exhaustive but includes - sugars, seaweeds, humus derived products, protein hydrolysates from both plant and animal sources as well as beneficial fungi and bacteria. Some, like seaweed, have been used in agriculture and horticulture for millennia. Others, like PGPR are new commercially, although of course exist naturally within the soil and have done for aeons. Plant Health Elicitors include the likes of Phosphite and are used to activate plant systemic response mechanisms. Phosphite has been proven to prime the plants defences against Microdochium nivale pathogen activity through the formation and accumulation of defence compounds at fungal entry points, leading to M. nivale suppression. Many biostimulants will offer some benefit to plant and soil health given the right conditions during and after application, but that poor product selection, timing, misapplication, or inadequate cultural
practices could render them ineffective. If using biostimulants, they should be regarded as a component part of an overall management strategy and not as a replacement for sound cultural practice and fertility management.
Resources are often tight, and we have a duty to get best value for our employer, not to mention our responsibility to manage sports surfaces in a sustainable and environmentally sensitive way. As sports turf managers, what we are trying to achieve is to bridge the gaps in nature on often artificially created, certainly artificially managed and sometimes stressful growing environments. Keeping our pitches aerated, considerate fertilisation and the promotion of good soil biology makes sense and is often economical in the long term. The information garnered from ongoing research into soil microbiology and the plant-soil interactions of the rhizosphere should only serve to empower our decision making and further our knowledge of how our sports surfaces might perform at their best. Get the soil functioning right and everything up top gets a whole lot easier.
PC June/July 2020 129
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