Tag Archive for: Trials

Microdochium Trials Days at Origin Amenity Solutions fully booked

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Microdochium Trials Days at Origin Amenity Solutions fully booked: Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) has run its second successful event looking at the current UK research into Microdochium management on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd November.

The informative trial days were held at the state-of-the-art OAS Turf Science & Technology Centre in Dunmow, Essex.

Microdochium Trials Days at Origin Amenity Solutions fully booked

Microdochium Trials Days at Origin Amenity Solutions fully booked

OAS Research & Development Director Geoff Fenn comments, “We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to our ‘Microdochium Trial Days’.  We initially marketed this as a one-day event, but the places filled up incredibly quickly, so we extended this to a second day, which again was full in no time. In total, we hosted almost 200 delegates over the 2 days.”

The informative event offered delegates the opportunity to visit several stations around the research centre, discussing products and best practices to manage Microdochium and maintain healthy turf over the Autumn/Winter period.

Geoff Fenn discussed the importance of collecting data to optimise application timings. Discussions included growth ratio, clip volume, nitrogen inputs, and potassium inputs. The new OAS Agronomic Tracker to record this information is now available – use the QR code below. If you need any support on how to use this, please contact OAS on 0800 138 7222.

Agronomy and Technical Manager, Kelly-Marie Clack presented the 2022/23 trial results of adopting the 20-20-30 + Mantle programme using UK Growth Potential to build an IPM plan. Kelly discussed how to integrate the new biocontrol, Harmonix from Envu, into programmes successfully. Elsewhere, Trials & Digital Platform Manager Angus Finlayson demonstrated the positive results of using OAS Dewcure, penetrants, and robotic dew removal, to reduce leaf wetness.

OAS Product and Sales Manager Kevin Scarce gave an overview and demonstration of TurfKeeper, the company’s web-based portal that gives turf industry professionals a fully integrated operations and management solution. The system provides complete control and transparency over staff management, task planning, machinery management, inventory control, chemical applications, and budgeting. He explained how information can be recorded in Turfkeeper.

Dr. Deidre Charleston, Research Manager from the microbial arm of OAS delivered a workshop on building a suppressive soil to support your disease management plan.

Finally, Phil Logan from Envu and Origin Amenity Solutions Technical Manager for Chemicals Peter Corbett spoke in detail about the latest technologies in biocontrols. They discussed managing disease and the benefits of Harmonix Turf Defense, exploring a Preventative versus Curative approach to turf management.

Geoff concludes, “OAS is fully committed to continuous improvement within the industry, exploring new product solutions; testing, and producing data for the market. These trial days are a prime example of this, and the team and I are delighted with how successful they have been and the positive feedback we all received.”

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Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

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Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials: Indigrow developed Diamond Green as a liquid fertiliser based on potassium, calcium and magnesium. It contains essential plant oils to enhance plant health and increase disease resistance in turf grass. The combination of nutrients in Diamond Green improves the plants natural resistance to many known pathogens.

After the successful development the additive formulation, trials of Diamond Green at different application rates were carried out to assess its impact on the spread of Fusarium and Red Thread. It was tested three different application rates to assess it’s effectiveness.

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Diseased turf cores were harvested from infected areas of turf on a parkland golf course. The cores were harvested in late Summer 2021 when these diseases were very active. Disease levels were consistent across each core at the time of harvest.

Throughout the trials, our aim was to find our the effectiveness Diamond Green had of different turf grass diseases without killing the fungus. As Diamond Green is a fertiliser with additives, it was important for us to show how this formulation would prevent the spread of the fungus within the cores taken from the parkland golf course.

Treatments

The following treatments were tested for their potential to reduce disease spread in already infected turf stands:

Number               Treatment                                                                                                           Rate

1                              Water:                                                                                                                  Untreated

2                              Fungicide (Tebuconazole 200 g/lt + Trifloxystrobin 100 g/lt):         1 lt/ha

3                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              10 lt/ha

4                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              20 lt/ha

5                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              40 lt/ha

Methods

The turf cores were harvested for each treatment, one infected with Fusarium Patch and one infected with Red Thread. The cores were then sprayed with each treatment until the turf surface was fully covered. The treated turf was then sealed in clear boxes to provide the humidity conducive to active disease spread. The development of the disease and the health of the turf was then monitored over the next 4-5 days.

Fusarium – Observations 4 Days After Treatment

Over a period of 4 days, the active Fusarium had spread freely on the untreated turf core and white, active mycelium was observed. The fungicide treatment has suppressed the spread of Fusarium, but there is still a small amount of active mycelium present.

Number               Treatment                                                                                                           Estimated Disease

Spread (%)

1                              Water:                                                                                                                  47%

2                              Fungicide (Tebuconazole 200 g/lt + Trifloxystrobin 100 g/lt):         14%

3                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              19%

4                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              8%

5                              Diamond Green:                                                                                              3%

At 10 lt/ha, Diamond Green has supressed the spread of Fusarium, but like the fungicide there is still a small amount of active mycelium present.

At both 20 and 40 lt/ha, Diamond Green has not only supressed the spread of Fusarium but allowed the turf to start to fill in disease scarred areas of turf. There is only a very small amount of active mycelium present on the turf

Red Thread – Observations 5 Days after Treatment

Over a period of 5 days, the active Red Thread has spread freely on the untreated turf core and active red areas can be observed.

At only 10 lt/ha, Diamond Green has had a limited impact on disease spread. However, at 20 lt/ha, the Red Thread has been almost completely suppressed and the turf has had a noticeable green up response and there is an obvious increase in growth rate.

Effect on Disease

It is important to state that Diamond Green is not a fungicide, it is a fertiliser with additives. We trialled both the fertiliser formulation without additives alongside the full Diamond Green formulation with additives. We found that when treated in isolation, the fungal growth is the same for just the fertiliser component as it is for the finished formulation containing the additives.

This confirms that it is the systemic acquired resistance within the plant that stops the spread of the disease.

Figure 1 – Diamond Green – Fertiliser component only

Figure 2 – Diamond Green Final Formulation Fertiliser component + additives

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Diamond Green – Continuation of Product Trials

Other Diseases

As Diamond Green acts as a trigger to the plants natural defences, rather than having a direct effect on the fungus itself, it is safe to assume that the activity shown here on Fusarium and Red Thread would be similar on other turf grass diseases including: Anthracnose, Dollar Spot, Snow Moulds and Leaf Spot.

Conclusions

The applications of Diamond Green have been successful in reducing the spread of Red Thread and Fusarium and the higher the application rate of Diamond Green, the stronger the effect is on disease.

At higher application rates of Diamond Green, the treatment also produces a strong growth response, with turf able to quickly ‘fill in’ previously diseased/scarred areas. Although this trial was only observational, we have a strong indication that Diamond Green can play a vital role as part of an integrated disease management strategy. With the benefits to turf health (shown by increased growth response and improved colour), we predict that turf treated with Diamond Green will have improved resistance to future disease attack.

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Preventative Treatments Impress In STRI Trials

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Preventative Treatments Impress In STRI Trials: It has been proven in recent STRI research trials that preventative disease control programmes outperform curative options when analysed for turf quality, colour and presence of Microdochium Patch.

STRI research manager, Mark Ferguson, explains these results and stresses the importance of preventative programmes in light of the recent loss of curative active ingredient iprodione.

Preventative Treatments Impress In STRI Trials

“When measuring disease presence, the STRI team looked specifically at the level of Microdochium Patch cover on the plots. As expected, the preventative treatments performed significantly better than the curative ones.

“The trials ran over the course of eight months, comparing nine preventative and three curative programmes, as well as one untreated plot.

“The first three programmes used purely preventative fungicides from Bayer. The rest of the preventative plots used a combination from Rigby Taylor and Headland Amenity teamed with plant health products to reflect a more realistic approach,” says Mark.

In general, preventative programmes five to seven showed the most consistent results across turf colour, quality and Microdochium Patch presence by using an integrated approach with both fungicides and plant health products.

Preventative Treatments Impress In STRI Trials

“The fungicides within the curative programmes (11 -13) were applied as and when disease developed to an unacceptable level, mimicking traditional control strategies.

“It’s important to note that none of the trial plots had any cultural controls or biological practices applied prior to or during the trial, other than mowing and switching, which was carried out when necessary,” adds Mark.

Bayer technical manager, Dr Colin Mumford, says the trial results show that even the most ‘bullet-proof’ curative programme was significantly outperformed by the preventative options.

“The disease control landscape has changed and it’s more important than ever before that greenkeepers don’t wait for disease to appear as they may have done in the past,” he says.

For further information please visit www.environmentalscience.bayer.co.uk or contact the Turf Solutions Team on 00800 1214 9451, at turfsolutions@bayer.com.

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Disease Management Trials

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Disease Management Trials: This year’s STRI Research event will see Bayer continuing its study into disease prevention in pursuit of the best programme for tackling Microdochium Patch in light of recent losses to curative chemistry.

Dr Colin Mumford, Bayer technical manager, explains that the new research will build on results from last season’s set of trials, that showed preventative options outshone curatives.

Disease Management Trials

“This year the aim is to reinforce these findings and see how we can improve on current disease management programmes, with alternative and new products, as well as different application rates and timings.

“A variety of different fungicides will be put to the test, including Exteris® Stressgard® and Dedicate®, alongside a number of plant health promoting products, from two of our main distributors, Headland Amenity and Rigby Taylor,” he says.

“Once again, we’ll be testing the Microdochium Patch cover, colour and quality of the turf, with a variety of programmes including preventative fungicides, plant health products, and the last remaining curative options that mimic a more traditional approach.”

He points out that the conditions this year could be quite different to the low disease threat experienced by the STRI last season. “The turf has taken a bashing this summer, with prolonged periods of high temperatures and strong sunlight, so it’ll be very interesting to see how the turf fairs with a stressful start to the disease season.”

The trials are due to start in late August, to pre-condition the turf for improved health, and should run until spring 2019, to see if there is any effect on green-up ahead of the key playing season.

Colin explains that during the event, along with representatives from Headland Amenity and Rigby Taylor, the Bayer team will present on each of the combinations being applied to the plots, their regularity and the expected outcomes.

For more information, please visit www.environmentalscience.bayer.co.uk, Headland Amenity www.headlandamenity.com or Rigby Taylor www.rigbytaylor.com

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Biochar Trials Hit Hole In One

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Biochar Trials Hit Hole In One: Okehampton Golf Club, Dartmoor National Park, trials enriched biochar to eliminate fungicide use.

A new turf improver with roots in traditional green keeping is arming Course Managers with a natural alternative to ever restricted fungicides and chemical fertilisers.

Biochar Trials Hit Hole In One

Carbon Gold’s Enriched Biochar Soil Improver is a horticultural form of charcoal blended with optimum levels of fungi, bacteria and trace minerals, and is approved by EU certification bodies for organic growing. It was common practice a century ago to use charcoal to keep greens porous and firm, and to improve the appearance and colour of turf. Now, innovative Greenkeepers are ‘rediscovering’ the benefits of biochar – using it to eliminate fungicides completely, and reduce chemical fertiliser use significantly.

David Chammings, Amenity Specialist for Sherriff Amenity, a division of Agrovista UK, has been the Chairman of Greens at Okehampton Golf Club for the past 3 years. His position and experience allow him to trial innovative techniques on different areas of the course, and he approached Carbon Gold, keen to be the first to trial biochar on golf course greens.

The club, established in 1913, has been through significant changes in the last 5 years, adapting to an ever-evolving industry and stricter demands, such as the revocation of insecticides and the withdrawal of many fungicides under ever tighter EU regulations. In 2016, Stuart Entwhistle joined as Course Manager, and together he and David devised a trial outline to test how Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar would perform on specific areas of the course, in the hope of finding a new solution to old problems.

The Okehampton trials

Locations and issues:

The 5th green – a very sandy newly-extended area of the green, which leaches nutrient heavily.

The 12th green – the ‘disease indicator’ green, placed in the Ockment Valley. It is surrounded by trees and receives very little winter sunlight.

Application:

Enriched Biochar Soil Improver was applied in March 2017. Both greens were 13mm hollow tined to a depth of 100mm. 1kg per m2 of Carbon Gold’s Enriched Biochar Soil Improver was brushed in – in the same way sand is commonly brushed into turf – over an area of 100m2 per green.

Outcomes

20% fertiliser reduction

Okehampton currently fertilise the greens five times a year.

They continued to fertilise the trial areas, at the same rate as the rest of the greens, but found that in the summer the 5th green looked healthier and was holding nutrient a lot more efficiently so decided to miss an application on this area. Three weeks later it was not evident that a feed application had been missed, and the trial area looked as healthy as the rest of the green. There is a definite increase in nutrient holding capacity in the sandy rootzones, and a 20% reduction in fertiliser use overall.

100% fungicide reduction

The fungal disease being treated in the Okehampton Carbon Gold trials is fusarium patch (Microdochium nivale) – common to golf courses across the world. They currently apply fungicide to all of the greens on the course twice a year, sometimes up to four times a year. To treat the whole 7000m2 course costs £700 per application – Okehampton’s annual fungicide bill alone can reach £2800.

No fungicide was required on either of the trial areas for the whole of the year, meaning Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar delivered an impressive 100% reduction in fungicide use.

Water retention & drainage

Water retention and drainage was another factor that David and Stuart were keen to address. Summer 2017 was relatively wet, however the treated greens performed well. The trial areas drain better and faster than before when needed, but also hold on to the moisture in prolonged hotter weather.

The trial greens were more resilient over the course of the year – whatever the seasons threw at them – during the hot dry periods they held onto the moisture better and were visibly healthier. In wetter periods they did not flood, were firmer, dryer and remained playable. This is a great advantage for the club during the wet months – if there is too much rain the course can flood and the greens become un-playable, which leads to closure and loss of revenue. With the use of Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar, this can now be avoided.

Next steps

David is keen to step up his trials to cover two entire greens which they will monitor throughout 2018.  Application of the product would normally take place during the maintenance times of spring and autumn. Due to significantly reduced requirements of fungicides, fertilisers and irrigation, he believes they would soon see a return on investment.

These enlightening trials show an optimum application rate of 1kg/m2, which equates to £1 per m2. As enriched biochar is a one-off application that remains in the soil indefinitely, and has proven to deliver up to 100% reduction in fungicide and 20% reduction in fertiliser inputs, it’s a hole in one for any discerning Course Manager.

David’s has great confidence in his new discovery – he says he would “highly recommend the use of Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar to all Greenkeepers & Groundsmen for the wider benefits of the product.” He even goes so far as to say, “I believe that biochar will be used throughout this industry in the not too distant future.”

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Headland and Bayer At Annual STRI Trials Event

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Headland and Bayer At Annual STRI Trials Event: Ongoing and future management of the pathogen Microdochium nivale was one of the hot topics that greenkeepers discussed at the recent STRI annual Trial Event, held in Bingley, West Yorkshire. Having actively researched and trialled products to suppress the disease for over 10 years, Headland Amenity, along with Bayer, were some of the leading contributors on the topic.  David Howells, Northern Area Manager, reports on their findings.

Historically, Iprodione-based products have been the main approach to deal with Microdochium nivale, applied curatively, when the first stages of the disease are seen. Whilst at the time of writing, fungicide products containing Iprodione are still available to use, it has been announced that its withdrawal is now imminent and we will soon be without this valuable tool to control turf disease. So what alternatives are there?

Headland and Bayer At Annual STRI Trials Event

With climate and legislation changes, preventative disease management will have to be the way forward. Headland Amenity predicted these issues many years ago and has over 10 years of independent trialwork to support effective, alternative preventative strategies, incorporating both fungicides and non-fungicidal products.

STRI Trials and feedback from Turf Managers have long shown the beneficial effects of using Headland’s 20-20-30 tank mix to minimise disease levels when applied as part of a preventative programme. This consists of a tank mix of plant hardeners and elicitors, Liquid Turf Hardener, Seamac ProTurf and Turfite. For example, during the autumn of 2016, control trial plots were hit with 75% Microdochium nivale disease pressure. Plots treated with 20-20-30 tank mix alone, prior to disease establishment, showed a 50% reduction in this activity.

As we lose one ‘old chemistry’ active ingredient, a new one, Fluopyram, comes to the UK. From a new chemical group of fungicides known as SDHI’s, Fluopyram is an acropetal penetrant, which means it can enter the plant through roots, shoots or leaves, and moves up through the plant to provide protective activity. It can be found in Bayer’s new Exteris Stressgard product, alongside Trifloxystrobin and the unique ‘Stressgard’ technology which provides plant protection against stress situations resulting in a visibly healthier looking sward. Headland Amenity is a primary supplier of Exteris Stressgard alongside another Bayer product, Dedicate – a systemic fungicide which can be used preventatively at the earliest sign of disease.  Alternating applications of these two products assists in reducing any potential resistance risk.

Moving forwards, whilst Iprodione is still on the shelf as a back-up, now is the perfect time to be putting together an integrated strategy combining good cultural practice, managing sward compositions and implementing a preventative fungicidal programme to ensure your facility is prepared for what lies ahead.

For more information, visit: www.headlandamenity.com

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