On Thurs., April 3, Florida turf professionals in the golf course and athletic turf community gathered at the South Florida Research & Education Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to hear about the latest research from the University of Florida.

The day began with a field tour including ten stops with topics ranging from fungicide programs for the management of ultradwarf bermudagrasses to burrowing owls in turf areas to plant root management and new herbicides for broadleaf weeds. Vendors also exhibited and demonstrated new equipment. After a barbecue lunch, turf pros attended workshops presented by Dr. Mike Fidanza (Penn State) and John Foy (Florida USGA) for GCSAA CEU credits.

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When discussing resistance management, there is a notion among turf pros that the repeated use of a pesticide causes the pest to mutate and become resistant to the pesticide being applied.

Resistance is not the result of pests mutating and becoming “resistant” from exposure to a particular pesticide. Real resistance means that a small part of the pest population has an inherited trait that makes it unaffected by a specific chemical mode of action. Resistant strains of a pest occur naturally at a very low frequency. As this resistant population reproduces and passes these inheritable traits from one generation to the next, the pesticide will no longer provide control as the resistant, or “survivor”, population becomes the majority. Repeated fungicide use increases the frequency of resistant individuals as they reproduce. The genetically strong individuals survive.

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What do most turf professionals skim to when reviewing a product label? Rate information. A product label provides a lot of other important information. Here are five key sections you shouldn’t skip:  (more…)