An Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) sprayer was developed to decrease carrier volume required for pesticide applications in row and turfgrass cropping systems. The ULV sprayer can make spray applications at or below 19 L ha-1 , which is far lower than a conventional sprayer in row crop or turfgrass production systems. Field studies were Facility near Mead, NE to compare the ULV sprayer to a conventional ...

Transition of populations from rural to urban living causes landscape changes and alters the functionality of soil ecosystems. It is unclear how this urbanization disturbs the microbial ecology of soils and how the disruption influences nitrogen cycling. In this study, microbial communities in turfgrass-grown soils from urban and suburban areas around Xiamen City were compared to microbial comm...

Bioassays using pellets of agar, thatch-agar and turfgrass-agar were developed using benzimidazole-sensitive Penicillium expansum, to detect the fungicide methyl 2-benzimidazole carbamate (MBC) which is the major fungitoxic degradation product of benomyl [methyl 1-(butylcarbamoyl)-2-benzimidazole carbamate] in thatch and turfgrass clippings. These bioassays were used to estimate the amount of f...

Urban ecosystems are rapidly expanding and their effects on atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) inventories are unknown. Our objectives were to: (i) measure the magnitude, seasonal patterns, and annual emissions of N2O in turfgrass; (ii) evaluate effects of fertilization with a high and low rate of urea N; and (iii) evaluate effects of urea and ammonium sulfate on N2O emissions in turfgrass. Nitrog...

BACKGROUND Turfgrass species are agriculturally and economically important perennial crops. Turfgrass species are highly susceptible to a wide range of fungal pathogens. Dollar spot and brown patch, two important diseases caused by fungal pathogens Sclerotinia homoecarpa and Rhizoctonia solani, respectively, are among the most severe turfgrass diseases. Currently, turf fungal disease control ma...

1999) in a variety of locations and soil types. The AEM technique, however, may be more sensitive than tradiThere is not extensive research on the potential of anion exchange tional extractions to treatment differences at low soil membranes (AEMs) for determining available N in soils of turfgrass NO3–N concentrations (Pare et al., 1995; Wander et al., systems, nor on the use of reflectance mete...

Irrigation effects on pesticide mobility have been studied, but few direct comparisons of pesticide mobility or persistence have been conducted on turfgrass versus bare soil. The interaction of irrigation practices and the presence of turfgrass on the mobility and dissipation of mefenoxam [N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(methoxyacetyl)-D-alanine methyl ester] and propiconazole (1-[[2-(2,4-dichlorophe...

Rationale The use of biological control organisms to augment chemical pesticide applications is gaining popularity amongst the environmentally conscious. While a moderate amount of information is known about the effect of pesticides on the indigenous ecology of a given environment, relatively little data exists describing the effect of introducing living organisms to a native community, especia...

Rationale Biological organisms for the prevention of turfgrass diseases are now available and in widespread use. Biological control is achieved through antagonistic action of one organism toward another such as a pathogen or weed. At present, no genetically engineered organisms are available in the turfgrass industry, however, as advances in biotechnology increase the activity of wild type (nat...

Wetting agents can be used to increase infiltration rates into hydrophobic (water repellent) soils. A field test was conducted on a soil classified as Tujunga stony sandy loam, which was found to be extremely hydrophobic to learn more about the effectiveness of wetting agents. The area is located near Fontana. The land had been farmed in small grain crops years ago and then was used as a hog ra...