Purdue Turf Bowl Teams Place in the Top Ten in Las Vegas!!!

Purdue students continue to protect their “turf” among the rise of new competitors at the 18th Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition hosted during the 2012 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) International Golf Course Conference and Show in Las Vegas, NV.

The three and one-half hour competition this year challenged student’s knowledge of more practical concepts of turfgrass management including disease, insect, seed, equipment, weed, irrigation and turfgrass identification. The competition covers mathematics, plant physiology, plant growth and development, human resource and financial management. Purdue’s performance in the competition over the last ten years has helped to bring additional recognition to the university, college and department. The students placed 6th, 9th, 25th, and 50th out of 87 teams from across the nation. Agronomy student’s Tony Feitz, John Thackery, Joey Gerking, Zak Peterson, CJ Coy, Jon Conatser, Quin Stilwell, Chris Sandels, Jason Hazel, Lucas Braun, Peter Westfall, TJ Mueller, Chad Melton and Dane Alexander represented Purdue at the competition. Despite weekly practices, with two hour-long study sessions starting in September students fell shy of their goal of finishing first but were extremely excited about their strong finish. Purdue once again solidifies its reputation as one of the top schools in the nation.

Students are already looking forward to next year’s competition at the GCSAA Show in San Diego, CA and the STMA competition in Daytona Beach, Fl. They have set their sights on placing first and are committed to achieving that goal. The teams would like to acknowledge the financial support they received this year from the Agronomy Department and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. The teams would also like to thank Ryan Baldwin, CGCS, Greg Shaffer, Jon Trappe, Quincy Law, Tracy Tudor, and their advisor Dr. Cale Bigelow for contributing their time to help educate and prepare the students. Please congratulate the 20112 Turf Bowl Teams on their performance and hard work the next time you see them.
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2012 = Same Pests But Earlier ETA

With the very mild winter that most of Indiana experienced so far, we are being asked about its effect on insect populations for this year. The consensus among turfgrass entomologists is that although insect populations were probably not especially hurt by low temperatures this winter, they probably have not benefitted that much either. Insect pests have developed behavioral and physiological strategies to get through even very cold winters, so the lack of cold this winter probably will not affect the kinds of pests we have this year. However, because the emergence of insects is tied directly with temperature accumulations, we do expect to see insects emerge much earlier during years with mild winter compared to more normal years. In fact, we are already seeing the late winter emergence of many arthropods such as lady beetles, clover mites, and crane flies that usually begin later in March. Take for example clover mites. We are already receiving calls about these very tiny mites (smaller than a pin head) that may occur in high numbers, first around windows, but later over entire walls of buildings.

Clover mites most often originate in turfgrass stands that are relatively young (2 – 5 yrs old), well maintained and fertilized. During the late winter and again in the fall time, these mites seem to migrate in large numbers and often end up inside structures, including homes. Clover mites are small enough to squeeze through the tiniest of cracks and openings in buildings, making it nearly impossible to seal them out. Turfgass grown right up to and in direct contact with building foundations can also facilitate their entry into structures. Although they are harmless to humans and pets, the presence of large numbers of these mites inside structures can be unsettling and attempts to wipe or sweep them from light colored surfaces such as walls often smashes them, resulting in brown/red steaks that can be difficult to clean.

The temporary application of double-sided tape around window sills can help stop migrating mites from gaining further access into affected structures, but once inside, these mites often become dehydrated rather quickly making vacuum cleaning of their tiny dead bodies one of the best options.


Clover mites are very tiny as can be seen on this ruler. To most people they appear as tiny, moving, black specks. Under magnification, however, they are reddish in color and have characteristically long front legs. This character helps separate them from the hundreds of other different mites.


Clover mites can be prevented from entering a home or building by using perimeter treatments. These may be either physical or chemical. A physical barrier can be established by separating turfgrass (where the mites feed) from the perimeter wall of the building. A strip of clean cultivated soil or stone, free of grasses, that extends 18 – 24 inches out from the foundation is usually sufficient to deter these mites from crossing. Ornamental plants that are not clovers or grasses may be added to increase the attractiveness.

Chemical barrier treatments may be applied to the outside foundation perimeter (three feet high and three feet out). Soaps as well as pyrethroid insecticides have been shown to be effective IF applied during the times that the mites are on the move.

Use of chemicals inside the home is not recommended. Remember that these mites do not directly damage the building nor do they bite people. Most consider them a simply a temporary nuisance pest and find that vacuuming or wiping them up with a soft sponge or wet cloth is sufficient. Be aware that they can smear and leave a red stain if crushed.

Timothy J. Gibb, Extension Entomologist

Douglas Richmond, Turfgrass Entomologist

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Purdue Turf Alumni and Friends at the Golf Industry Show

Visit the Purdue Turf booth # 2979

Purdue motion P_Turf.pngand receive some great Purdue promotional items

Join us for an impromptu gathering at

Queen Victoria Pub at the Riviera Hotel

(2901 Las Vegas Blvd., South | Las Vegas, NV)

on Wednesday, February 29, 7:30 pm

We will not have a formal reception this year
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Imprelis Herbicide Injury: 2011 PPDL ‘Host’ List


We have received questions pertaining to susceptibility of plants to Imprelis. We do not have a list of "susceptible vs. not susceptible" plants because we do not know exactly which plants might be affected under certain growing conditions. However, based on our experience in the PPDL this past summer the list below contains the names of plants on which we saw symptoms of herbicide injury when Imprelis was reported to have been applied on the property. There is no certainty that all of the damage observed on these plants listed below was actually caused by Imprelis. Confirmation of Imprelis injury will depend on the residue analysis and final reports provided by the Office of Indiana State Chemist (OISC). An asterisk (*) next to the plants listed below indicates that Imprelis residue was confirmed in host tissue by the OISC. In a few cases we also saw herbicide injury symptoms on annuals (tomato) and perennials but those have been omitted from this list.

Conifers
Arborvitae*
Bird’s nest Spruce*
Bald cypress*
Colorado blue spruce*
Concolor fir
Dawn redwood
Douglas fir
Eastern white pine*
Fraser fir
Juniper
Norway spruce*
Yew

Deciduous trees or shrubs
Alder
Amelanchier
Boxwood
Callery Pear
Cottonwood
Euonymus
Ginkgo*
Hibiscus*
Honeylocust*
Lilacs
Maple*
Mulberry
Paulownia*
Paw Paw
Privet*
Redbud
River birch
Rose of Sharon
Sycamore
Tulip Poplar
Viburnum
Willow

Gail Ruhl, Sr. Plant Disease Diagnostician, Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN 47907-2054

Check out the original post of this article including many other images at: http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/weeklypics/1-17-12.html


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Purdue Students Place 1st at the Eighth Annual Sports Turf Competition

For the second year in a row the Purdue Turf Program has placed 1st in the Student Challenge Exam during the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Meetings held January 10-14, 2012. Eight students traveled out to Long Beach, CA for the eighth annual Student Challenge Exam at the STMA Meetings. The four person team of Zak Peterson, John Thackery, Ben Baumer, and Joey Gerking placed 1st and Purdue’s second team, Steve Vonderheide, Cameron Cox, Zachary Ferguson, and Tyler Macali placed 17th out of 24 teams. Teams from various colleges and universities participated in a written exam on sports turf and sports field topics. The two hour competition included the identification of insects, grasses, and weeds and covered mathematics, soil physical properties, plant physiology, and plant growth and development in addition to questions on athletic field construction, design and maintenance. At the conference, students were able to take advantage of many activities including the student challenge exam, workshops and a student network luncheon.

The STMA is rich with Purdue University tradition as the late Dr. Bill Daniel, long-time Purdue professor and a pioneer in the turf industry, was one of the four founding members. Dr. Daniel is honored each year by an award in his name that honors individuals who have significantly contributed to the sports turf industry through research, teaching and extension.

The teams would like to acknowledge the support they received this year from the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF), Agronomy Department, their advisor Dr. Cale Bigelow and graduate teaching assistant, Tracy Tudor. Without Dr. Bigelow, Tracy Tudor, MRTF and the help of the Agronomy Department the students would not be able to compete in the STMA competition.
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Purdue Turf Scholarship Winners



The Purdue Turf Program granted over $15,000 in scholarship funds to nineteen students. These students have shown high academic achievement, outstanding character and a desire to be in the Turfgrass Industry. Congratulations to all of the Purdue Turf students that received scholarships.




Chad Melton, Don Fassnacht Scholarship

C.J. Coy, Jean and Lee Schmidt Scholarship

Cameron Cox, Max Slack Scholarship

John Daniels, W.H. Daniel Graduate Scholarship

Zach Ferguson, W.H. Daniel Undergraduate Scholarship

Tony Feitz, Michiana Golf Course Superintendents Association

TJ Mueller, Hoosier Golf Course Superintendents Association

John Thackery, MRTF Golf Day Scholarship (presented by Syngenta)

Dane Alexander, MRTF Scholarship

Ben Baumer, MRTF Scholarship

Lucas Braun, MRTF Scholarship

Tony Feitz, MRTF Scholarship

Dan Kiermaier, MRTF Scholarship

Aaron Kreider, MRTF Scholarship

Brock Miller, MRTF Scholarship

Zac Peterson, MRTF Scholarship

Quin Stilwell, MRTF Scholarship

Clayton Walters, MRTF Scholarship

Peter Westfall, MRTF Scholarship

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Successful Indiana Green Expo

Last week (January 11-13, 2012) the Purdue Turf Program and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation hosted the Indiana Green Expo (IGE) in cooperation with the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association. The IGE is Indiana's most comprehensive green industry educational conference and trade show. It is a time of education, new products and networking with industry members. The IGE featured 90 exhibiting companies from around the country. The 1,700 attendees from Indiana and the surrounding states come from a variety of backgrounds including business owners, managers and staff of wholesale and retail nurseries, landscape management firms, greenhouse growers, golf course superintendents and staff, grounds maintenance departments, landscape design and installation firms, garden centers, consulting firms, educational institutions, suppliers and more! This year’s conference provided education with eight concurrent sessions featuring 60 different speakers including Purdue faculty/staff from Agriculture Economics, Agronomy, Botany and Plant Pathology, Entomology, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, and Forestry and Natural Resources. The conference was a success again this year and continues to provide information and education among the Midwest turf professionals and the green industry. Mark your calendars for next year’s IGE, January 9-11, 2013.
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