COLLEGE STATION — Whether it’s ants marching across the lawn, troublesome weeds and diseases making the turf look ragged and brown, or concern about mandated watering restrictions on a lawn, the Texas A&M Turfgrass and Landscape Field Day will have an expert with research-based answers.
The field day will be Oct. 9 at the Scotts-MiracleGro Lawn and Garden Research Facility, 3100 F&B Road in College Station.
The program will begin with registration from 7:45-8:30 a.m. Concurrent programs and field tours will run from 8:45 a.m. to noon, followed by lunch. Preregistration is required for lunch at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/Turf. The fee is $55 if registered by Sept. 27 and $65 thereafter and at the door.
Industry professionals and the general public are encouraged to attend and learn about current research activities in Texas A&M’s turfgrass program, said Ben Wherley, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research turfgrass ecologist, College Station.
Those concerned about water management may want to attend Tools and Technologies for Improving Irrigation Management or the session on the Development of an Autonomous Irrigation Control System for Improved Landscape Water-Use Efficiency.
What Makes a Good Sample for Disease Diagnostics? by Kevin Ong, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, College Station, will help participants learn not only about what is required to get a good diagnosis but also about various disease and pest diagnostic services available through the diagnostic clinic.
Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service turfgrass specialist, College Station, said she will be providing an inside look at Poa, turf’s most troublesome weed, as well as broadleaf weed control options for turf.
Another highlight will be on Wherley’s ongoing research on spent coffee grounds and their potential use as a fertilizer and sand-based root zone amendment. Wherley talks about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuxouYYU3xI.
Other topics include:
– Environmental Impacts of Landscape Conversions.
– Glyphosate and Other Weed Control Options That May or May Not Work for You.
– Cultural Requirements for Long-Term Management of Sand-Capped Turf Systems.
– Fall Fungicide Programs for Large Patch Disease Management.
– Fundamentals of Sprayer Calibration.
– What’s New in the Cultivar Pipeline? National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Update.
– Soil Health: Is it important for Turfgrass?
– ProVista St. Augustine Grass: A New Option for Low-Input Landscapes.
– Evaluating Sports Field Safety.
– Data-Driven Irrigation Technologies for Managing Sand-Capped Turf.
– Fungicide and Wetting Agent Effects on Ultra-dwarf Performance under Deficit Irrigation.
– Ornamentals Talks.
All participants are asked to park at the Thomas G. Hilderbrand, DVM ’56 Equine Complex at 3240 F&B Road adjacent to the Turfgrass Field Lab. A shuttle to and from the event will be provided. Signage and attendants will direct participants to registration and events.
Questions about field day should be addressed to Alisa Hairston, ahairston1@tamu.edu, 979-845-0884; Grubbs-Bowling, bgrubbs@tamu.edu; or Wherley, b-wherley@tamu.edu.
-30-