MRTF Turf and Ornamental Seminar - November 14-15

MRTF Turf and Ornamental Seminar - November 14-15

Turf and Ornamental Seminar

November 14-15, 2012

Daniel Turf Center

West Lafayette, Indiana

Registration Form (PDF Format)

Register on-line at http://mrtf.org/php/Registration.php?pid=5487

Registration Deadline: November 2, 2012

CCH's: Cat. 2 - 5 CCH's; Cat. 3a - 8 CCH's; Cat. 3b - 9 CCH's; Cat. 6 - 3 CCH's; RT - 4 CCH's

Wednesday, November 14

8:00-8:30              Registration

8:30-8:45              Opening comments, Aaron Patton

8:8:45-9:45          All About Turf Seed: Identification, Germination, Planting, Aaron Patton

9:45-10:45           Safe Tree Felling: What You Need To Know, Lindsey Purcell

10:45-11:45         Getting Your Hands Dirty: Learning More About Soils, Quincy Law

11:45-12:45         Lunch (on your own)

12:45-1:40           Selection and Inspection of Spray Hoses and DOT Rules, Fred Whitford

1:40-2:00              DOT Regulation Changes: What You Need to Know, Fred Whitford

2:00-3:00              State Chemist News and Updates, Joe Becovitz

3:00-4:00              Weather Effects on Insects: How Do Insects Cope?, Tim Gibb

Thursday, November 15

8:00-8:30              Turf Jeopardy, Aaron Patton

8:30-9:30              New Tools For Managing Landscape and Ornamental Insect Pests, Cliff Sadof

9:30-10:30           Maintaining Grounds: Keeping Native Species In and Invasives Out, Matt Kraushar

10:30-11:30         Perennial Disappointments: Diseases of Perennial Plants, Janna Beckerman

11:30-12:15         Lunch (provided)

12:15-1:15           Promoting Turf Recovery…Fertilizer Strategies, Seeding and More!, Cale Bigelow

1:15-2:15              Identification and Control of Turf Diseases, Rick Latin

2:15-3:15              Herbicide Update: New Resources and Ingredients, Aaron Patton

If you have any questions or have any special dietary needs please contact Jennifer Biehl at 765-494-8039 or biehlj@purdue.edu

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When a GPS Unit Malfunctions

When a GPS Unit Malfunctions

This photo was submitted from a golf course where it was found tunneling into a green.  It is obvious that it is creating some damage but the astute manager was able to find and photograph the beetle in association with the damage.  This combination always makes identification and control recommendations much easier.

The insect was identified as a ‘Fancy Dung Beetle’ in the family Geotrupidae: Bolbocerosoma sp.   It is closely related to the Scarabaidae (Japanese beetles, masked chafers, June beetles etc) that we are very familiar with.  Like the Scarabs, these insects often bore down into the soil to lay their eggs.  Usually Geotrupid beetles select areas very rich in decaying organic matter such as in manure and barn yards.  However, just like people, every so often one will become completely lost.  This one apparently has ended up on a golf green by accident.  

You can see that the beetle has created a bit of a burrow and this may be a concern if many of his kind were to do the same thing on a green.  However, I think this may be just a random occurrence and the damage, a very isolated incident. Why it is where it is nobody knows for sure.  I suspect that it’s GPS system is simply out of whack.


Timothy Gibb, Department of Entomology, Purdue University

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