November 25, 2020 - Turf Matters

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000: Spectrum® Technologies Inc., expands its broad product offering with the release of the WatchDog® Wireless ET Weather Station. Through the single station, customers can now receive real-time, site-specific weather data on their smartphone, including temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed/direction and solar radiation.

With an LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT cellular radio, the 3000 Series can monitor the widely dispersed turf areas on a golf course and send data to the SpecConnect™ cloud. After an overnight rainfall, a turf manager can see which areas of the course received different amounts of rainfall with a separate Wireless Rain Temperature/Relative Humidity Station and adjust irrigation run times accordingly. The varied microclimates of a golf course are capably tracked, with localized disease pressure warnings available. The all-in-one design with smartphone setup makes installation quick and easy for someone whose real job is not setting up weather stations.

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

“With this new wireless station, you no longer have to rely on local weather services providing inaccurate rainfall and ET data,” says Mike Thurow, president and CEO of Spectrum® Technologies. “And you can view current weather conditions for your course on your smartphone. With site-specific rainfall and temperature data through the season, more effective decisions are made, and playing conditions are optimized and consistent.”

Spectrum® Technologies is proud to announce that the WatchDog® 3000 Series Weather Station product line recently received the 2021 AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). This marks Spectrum®’s 25^th AE50 award recognizing the top innovative new products produced in agricultural equipment.

About Spectrum^® Technologies

Spectrum® Technologies was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. The company manufactures and distributes affordable, leading-edge, plant-measurement technology to agricultural, horticultural, environmental and turf markets throughout the world, serving more than 14,000 customers in more than 80 countries. Spectrum^®Technologies brands include: WatchDog^®, FieldScout^®, WaterScout^®, DataScout^®, LightScout^® and SpecConnect™. Spectrum has won 25 AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to innovation and quality. For more information, call 815-436-4440 or visit www.specmeters.com.

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Another golfer influx post lockdown: Greenkeepers are being warned to prepare golf courses in advance of another likely influx of visitors once ‘lockdown two’ comes to an end.

Colin Mumford, technical manager at Bayer says that while it’s fantastic to see so many people enthusiastic to get back on the greens and fairways, greenkeepers need to be aware of the impact this could have on the course over the winter months.

Another golfer influx post lockdown

“Traffic management is going to be key to avoid course compaction and wear and tear, particularly now the weather has turned. Wetter, softer, ground conditions are far more vulnerable,” he says

“The STRI trial plots that Bayer has been involved in show that courses that have been exposed to high levels of turf stress are suffering from large disease outbreaks this autumn.

“For example, basal rot is currently a problem,” says Colin. “It’s a strain of anthracnose, causing the base of the plant to turn black and come away from the roots, leading to death of the grass plants.

“The symptoms can still be seen in some places at the moment, as the infection thrives in cooler conditions, especially in short turf that is exposed to stress such as compaction or poor drainage.”

For the moment, many of the disease pressures are regional depending on the weather conditions – with central and eastern parts of the UK most affected currently – but if we continue to see damp, mild conditions, then we could see more widespread microdochium patch outbreaks, as the disease flourishes in these conditions.

“Greenkeepers need to stay vigilant for early signs of disease,” says Colin.

“Cultural controls such as brushing and switching can help keep the surface dry and really reduce the risk of Microdochium Patch establishing. It’s also key that courses have adequate nutrition as inappropriate levels can leave them susceptible to problems,” he says.

Colin recommends that if the environmental conditions are ideal for Microdochium Patch to occur, it is preferable to apply a preventative fungicide before the first visual signs of disease appear, or at the very least an early curative application at the initial sign of disease, to control it before it becomes established and causes long-term damage.

“Applying a preventative fungicide such as Dedicate®, will help offer successful control over Microdochium Patch as it includes two active ingredients with different modes of action which are proven to have high efficacy.

“Due to Dedicate® being a rapid acting solution, it gets on top of the disease before it becomes established and is also proven to provide improved plant health, consistency and greenkeeper satisfaction.

“There is no doubt this year has been a challenging one, but it’s important greenkeepers keep an eye out for any early signs of disease and ensure they are prepared for the reopening of courses. They could be very busy but it’s keeping on top of maintenance and minimising turf stress that’s crucial,” concludes Colin.