AUSTRALIAN ISSN 1442-2697 RRP$6.00 MANAGEMENT Fire Ants Battle lines are drawn Venue of the 2001 Holden Australian Open Bentgrass ^BPftH The Competitive ability of thirteen species of Agrostis Stolonifera -*» - * Ł"-»"vi - Cricket Wicket SMfeÄr.'; ¿Jr* ' i r* Effects of Root Zone Construction and Preparation Methods Ł'"ŁŁ. "v. ç " Ł fi Ł a. Š yflKT EL volume3.5 October - November 2001 , Ł JACOBSEN JAC08SEn Head Office: 122 Hume Highway, Lansvale, NSW 2166. Phone: (02) 9724 0344 Fax: (02) 9724 5405 Victoria: 29 Gatwick Road, Bayswater, Vic. 3153. Phone (03) 9720 7622 Fax: (03) 9720 6801 Queensland: 11-13 Gibbs Street, Labrador, Qld. 4215. Phone (07) 5537 7477 Fax: (07) 5537 9296 W.A. Distributor: Mcintosh & Son. Phone (08) 9478 2400 Tasmania Distributor: Tasmania Farm Equipment Pty Ltd. Northern Territory Distributor: CASE N.T. S.A. Distributor: Squiers Sales & Service. Darryl Squiers Phone: (08) 8390 3017 Rex Weston Phone: 1800 801 980 www.textronsolutions.com TEXTRON GOLF AND TURF PRODUCTS Head Office: 122 Hume Highway, Lansvale, NSW 2166. Phone: (02) 9724 0344 Fax: (02) 9724 5405 Victoria: 29 Gatwick Road, Bayswater, Vic. 3153. Phone (03) 9720 7622 Fax: (03) 9720 6801 Queensland: 11-13 Gibbs Street, Labrador, Qld. 4215. Phone (07) 5537 7477 Fax: (07) 5537 9296 W.A. Distributor: Mcintosh & Son. Phone (08) 9478 2400 Tasmania Distributor: Tasmania Farm Equipment Pty Ltd. Northern Territory Distributor: CASE N.T. S.A. Distributor: Squiers Sales & Service. Darryl Squiers Phone: (08) 8390 3017 Rex Weston Phone: 1800 801 980 www. textronsolutions. com TEXTRON GOLF AND TURF PRODUCTS J i IT Ł . Ł . Ł . * . w/fh Jacklin® Seed and BEST® Fertilizer Distributors: Total Turf Perth, Western Australia 2 Jessel Place, Duncraig, Western Australia 6023 Ph (08) 9448 5263 Fx (08) 9448 5263 Turfcare NSW Sydney, New South Wales Unit 8, 24 Clyde Street, Rydalmere, New South Wales 2116 Ph (02) 9684 6611 Fx (02) 9684 6633 Turfcare Supplies(a division of SimplotTurf & Hoticulture Group) Melbourne, Victoria 20 Dehavilland Road, Braeside, Victoria 3195 Ph (03) 9587 4993 Fx (03) 9580 9944 Northern Rivers Rural Buying Turf Division 1 A Gateway Drive Labrador, Queensland 4215 Ph (07) 5537 7323 Fx (07) 5537 6814 T-Link 20 Dunluce Avenue Brighton, South Australia 5048 Ph (08) 8296 4231 Fx (08) 8296 4231 Symonds Seeds 5 Sutton Street Osborne Park, Western Australia 6017 Ph (08) 9443 7100 Fx (08) 9443 7101 Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Courseßoating green in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho The Final Word in Turfgrass Seed and Nutrition (BESTJ TAGfcLIN ^ S E E D TURF & HORTICULTURE GROUP For more information regarding products, technical support and distribution, please contact our corporate offices: 5300 WEST RIVERBEND AVENUE Ł POST FALLS, ID, U.S.A. 83854-9499 Ł PHONE: 208-773-7581 Ł FAX: 208-773-4846 www.jacklin.com or www.bestfertilizer.com There's only one reason to design innovatively and manufacture with a focus on quality before cost. It works! WYllflmifl Australian Turfgrass Management Published by: Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association ACN 053 205 888 Level 1,19 Railway Parade North Glen Waverley, 3150 Ph: (03)9886-6200 Fax: (03)9886-6400 Email: info@agcsa.com.au Website: www.agcsa.com.au President: Mr. Mark Couchman Directors: Mr. Jeff Gambin Mr. David Warwick Mr. Rob Macdonald Chief Executive Officer: Euan Laird Editorial/Advertising: Phil George philgeorge@agcsa.com.au Administration Manager: Fiona McPadden Design & Production: Publicity Press Art Direction & Design: Andy Cumming Design Studio: Kristie Stewart Tiffany Loftus-Hills Kerrie Still Accounts/Subscriptions: AGCSA Level 1, 19 Railway Parade North Glen Waverley, 3150 (03) 9886-6200 (03) 9886-6400 Horticulture Australia Proudly supported by Enviromist - Australia "Supplying the best. Nothing less." VICTORIA: Head Office. 466 Warrigal Road, MOORABBIN, 3189 Phone: (03) 9570 2202. Greg Walker - Mobile 0417 317 194 NEW SOUTH WALES: Phone: (02) 9681 6926. Phil Costa - Mobile 0412 691 269 QUEENSLAND: Phone: (07) 5528 9600. Ken Robinson - Mobile 0417 511 580 SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Phone: (08) 8322 1883. John Cox - Mobile 0417 979 339 World's best practice CDA technology. Capable of dramati-cally reducing chemical and water application rates, improving weed control and environmental safety even when spraying in windy conditions. Light-weight tractor mount or 4-wheel bike tow behind. Manufactured in Australia. Exported world-wide. Pro'Rirf - USA The thickest, biggest, softest, strongest golf mat on the market and the choice of many of the world's best golf facilities including 70% of America's top 100 golf ranges. The octagonal design provides years of wear - even wearing spikes. Mats can be centrally security dynabolted making them ideal for practice bays. Netting - Australia Made to Country Club International's demanding specifica-tions to suit Australian conditions. Impact netting for practice bays is 4mm 512 denier flat weave - the thickest you can get. Safety barrier netting is custom made to any size up to 50 metres high! All netting carries a 10-year UV Warranty. Triangle Hitch - Norway This is the world ISO Standard for 3-point tractor inter-locking systems. It makes changing any implements made for 3-point linkage systems a simple and safe 1-person operation in as little as 30 seconds. Hydraulic top link systems and weld or bolt on receivers available for almost any application. Flexitec - Australia The ultimate paving system for golf course and other club applications. Manufactured in 1-metre square sections under extreme compression to produce a dense, attractive hard-wearing rubber compound paving in a range of colors. Can be laid loose internally for spike bars, pro shops and changerooms or adhered on external pathways. ATM 3 I Copyright © 1999 AGCSA believes that material sourced and produced for Australian Turfgrass Management is accurate, but give no warranty in relation thereto, and disclaim liability for all claims against the AGCSA, Publicity Press, their subsidiary companies, their employees, agents or any other person which may arise from any person acting on the materials contained within. No portion, in whole or part, may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers. AL [ -rr Fire Ant War - The Battle Lines Are Drawn 8 V Solonepsis invicta is a significant pest in many parts of Australia and is desperately trying to get a foothold over here. Blair Roots from Queenslands Department of Primary Industries discusses how their introduction could affect our lives and how they plan to defeat them. Grand Plans 36 " ta sa Six years ago The Grand Golf Club, just outside of Surfers Paradise sat derelict and virtually unrecognizable. In just over one months time it will play host to Australia's premier golf event. Carbrook Golf Club - Rising From The Deep 40 Martyn Hedley, GCS at the Carbrook Golf Club discusses how this small, member owned golf club have overcome all sorts of obstacles in totally rebuilding the golf course and the environment. AGCSA introduces the 18th Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show 45 ( research The Comparative Competitive Ability of Thirteen Agrostis stolonifera Cultivars to Poa annua 22 Poa annua invasion on bentgrass greens continues to be a problem and the desire to maintain greens at lower and lower mowing heights only makes the problem worse. This outstanding research authored principally by Paolo Croce from the Italian Golf Federation and well know researcher Dr. James Beard assess the relative ability of thirteen varieties of bentgrass to resist invasion from Poa annua. Effects of Root Zone Construction and Preparation Methods on Cricket Pitch Performance. 30 Keith McAuliffe from the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute evaluates the performance of contrasting cricket pitch constructions during the 1999/2000 New Zealand playing season. ( in every edition ) 14 Presidents Pen AGCSA Membership Application Form TECH TALK - Insecticides in Turf - Mode of Action Matthew Bywater provides an extremely comprehensive discussion on the mode of action of pesticides. REVIEW - Have You Been Read Your Rights? 20 Protect yourself and the rights of plant breeders by learning exactly how you can and can't use registered plant varieties. AGCSATech Update 28 NEWS 44 NEW PRODUCTS 48 AGCSA Bookshop 50 STATE REPORTS 52 ADVERTISERS INDEX 56 Editors Note Congratulations to everyone who had surfaces up for footy finals and best of luck to those finishing renovations and getting ready for the hot weather. In this edition of ATM, Blair Roots from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries outlines the threat that Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA) pose to the outdoor activities that we take for granted. As I write this, the QDPI are throwing a $123 million eradication plan into action and if successful, it will be the first time ever that this menace has been defeated. We also feature a profile on the reconstruction of the Carbrook Golf Club, which has quite literally 'risen from the deep' and this month in REVIEW, we investigate Plant Breeders Rights (PBR's). This is bound to become a hot topic and it is important that you know the rules. Also, this month in TECH TALK, Matthew Bywater provides a comprehensive review on pesticide mode of action. Six years ago The Grand Golf Club in Queensland lay in ruin, but next month, the dreams of some Gold Coast visionaries and a dedicated staff come true when they play host to the 2001 Holden Australian Open. Golf Course Superintendent Rodney Cook tells us how they are preparing for the clubs most defining moment. The cricket season is already here and in this edition, Keith McAuliffe from the NZ Sports Turf Institute evaluates the performance of contrasting cricket pitch constructions during the 1999/2000 New Zealand playing season. Also in RESEARCH, we publish work from Paolo Crose from the Italian Golf Federation who in conjunction with Dr. James Beard and other researchers assessed the relative competitive ability of thirteen varieties of Agrostis stolonifera to resist invasion from Poa annua. In addition to this and more, we introduce the 18th Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show that will be held in Brisbane next year and get in early to place your order for 'Sportsturf Protection - The Complete Guide To Turf Protection Products' that comes complete will MSDS sheets, colour ID charts and reference tables that allow you to search by active, trade name and pest controlled. Released in January 2002, this is a 'must have' for the professional turf manager. Phil George m PHIL GEORGE EDITOR JOHN NEY LAN AGCSA : ^ LES BURDETT S.A.C.A w ^ W 1 L V/ WARREN WILLIAMS DOOMBEN RACING CLUB Mr T I 4 ROSS WARD NOOSA HEADS BOWLS CLUB President j Pen J As I sit to write this report I think of the impact that world and local (Australia) events must have on the way that all those involved in the golf course industry throughout this great country of ours go about their business. How will those events, and surely those that will follow, effect the way people go about the job, and even the possibility of how uncertain their future may become? I think that many golf operations will need to make adjustments to procedures in order to compensate for world trends and economic pressures that will be the resultant fall out from these events. One would like to think that we can all rise to the challenges that will confront us and hopefully we all will become far better people for the experience. The AGCSA has over the past couple of months been reviewing operations, and hopefully, some of the changes will help to strengthen the Association's position and enable members to gain greater benefit from their membership. The venue for next years Conference and Trade Show has been finalised and I am sure that Brisbane will turn on the winter warmth to make the event a great experience for all those who venture up to sunny Queensland. The most striking difference will surely be the ability for delegates to customise their registration to suit their own requirements from all aspects of the conference. Things such as the length of time people wish to stay, educational content, functions etc and by choosing the relevant options that they wish to take up can build their registration to fit within any budgetary impost that they may have. Other developments at the AGCSA have been more related to the invisible tangibles that the Association offers to the members. Things such as the further development of relationships with other Associations like the PGA, AGU, state Golf Associations, Government Departments and the Golf Club Managers Association are just some of the work that is going on "behind the scenes". I would just like to mention that once again the AGCSA will be providing Course Quality Officials at the Australian Golf Open and I would encourage all members and their respective staff's to seriously consider coming along and enjoying great golf up close. Finally, just a quick note to wish all Golf Course Superintendents and all other Turf Managers, the best of luck over the coming months in the build up to any events that you may be holding or if its just going to be another "hot one", a Enjoy the Magazine. Regards Mark K. Couchman. The natural alternative Ł WindsorGreen Couch Ł TifGreen 328 Ł Common Couch Ł Kikuyu Ł Duet Couch Ł Sir Walter Buffalo Ł Other varieties available on a contract basis available from élllHlk» TURF Coffs Harbour ORARA TURF 222 Dairyville Road COFFS HARBOUR NSW 2450 Phone: (02) 6653 9000 Fax: (02) 6653 9001 |6 A T M Fltlf fcAGCSA T membership application form Secure your career in the Turf Indust y..... Ł enhance your job security Ł promote your professionalism Ł receive peer support and free legal advice Ł gain access to a range of educational opportunities and AGCSA publications AGCSA Membership Classes A Course Superintendent/Course Manager $295 C5 Company Members - 1-3 Individuals $262 B Assistant Superintendent/Allied Turf Manager $262 4-6 Individuals $218 C Trade Members/Individuals $262 >6 Individuals $196 C2 Retired Member $119 Al International Class A Members $345 C3 Certificate 7-3 Student $119 C4 Foreman/Leading Hands/Ground Staff $229 ' ' Ł J/ ' N 1 I Membership Application Form Surname: Preferred Mailing Address: City/Suburb: Position: First Name: Club Postal Address: City/Suburb: Phone: Work: Email Postcode: Club/Organisation: Postcode: Home: Mobile: Fax: Member Class: To join the associations your application must be signed by two current Golf Course Superintendent members of the association. Signed: Date: Signed: Date: Name: Name: Membership Payment Membership payments for any of the above associations are to be sent to the AGCSA. Ł Please charge this purchase to my credit card account Ł Bankcard Ł MasterCard DVisa Card Number: Cardholder Name: Address: Expiry Date: Signature: Send completed application form and payment to: AGCSA Level 1r 19 Railway Parade North Glen Waverley, 3150 Phone: 03 9886 6200 Fax: 03 9886 6400 email: info@agcsa.com.au FIRE ANT WAR -The Battle Lines are Drawn Y t February 22 this year was a black day for Queenslanders. It was the day a creature called Solenopsis invicta was discovered in Brisbane. Solenopsis invicta is the scientific name for the Red Imported Fire Ant, a vicious and aggressive native of South America. By coincidence, the fire ants were discovered almost simultaneously in two different locations: one in the city's south-west suburbs the other near the mouth of the Brisbane River. The red fire ant is an aggressive invader and once entrenched is a vigorous defender of its territory. When its mound-like nests are disturbed thousands of worker ants can swarm over the intruder, stinging repeatedly. The results aren't pretty: within hours unsightly pustules form on the skin of the victims, be they humans or other animals. Red Imported Fire Ants were first identified in the United States, where they turned up in the port of Mobile, Alabama, in the 1930s. As far as anyone can tell they hitched a ride in soil used as ships' ballast. The ants have since spread across most of southern USA, and they're there for good: eradication is considered impossible. We are not sure how the fire ants arrived in Brisbane. Movement across the docks in soil attached to shipping containers or equipment is suspected but we will probably never know for sure. Fire ants pose a threat to public health, to our outdoor lifestyle, to the environment and to our biodiversity. The problem is not their size - they range from only 2mm to about 6mm but rather their aggressive nature. Fire ants on your property can mean the end of the backyard barbecue. Where fire ants are present bare feet are not an option; the same goes for picnics in infested parks, or children's games in infested playgrounds. And we certainly don't want them on our golf courses. Studies in Brisbane have already shown that entire layers of native wildlife have been eliminated from parts of Brisbane's bushland by the invading fire ants. Fire ants can also be a serious pest of agriculture, eating seeds and damaging plants directly. A dense infestation of fire ant mounds can make it difficult or impossible to use agricultural machinery. However, the problem is not simply that they sting. The American experience tells us that they can spread with alarming rapidity. To begin with, fire ants disperse naturally through mating flights. The young queens and fertile males - both with wings - emerge in the spring and mate in the air, with the fertilised queens landing and burrowing into the ground to begin a new colony. A queen's mating flight will mostly end within one to two kilometres of the original nest, but they can travel much farther if assisted by wind. Fire ants can move by other means as well. They have shown a readiness to move whole colonies if disturbed or if a site becomes unsuitable. In flood times masses of ants join together to form a raft and can travel on the current to countless new sites. |8 A T M Multiagri, But most frighteningly, fire ants are great hitchhikers. They just love to travel! It was no accident that the march of the fire ant across the southern United States coincided with the housing boom following the Second World War. And this is where people in the turfgrass industries need to take notice. We now know that the ants moved across the States in grass sod, ornamental plants and landscaping materials associated with the increased building activity. By 1953 the Americans had established a direct link between the spread of fire ants and the commercial nursery industry. This simple fact alone is of great concern to Queensland's Department of Primary Industries, which has been given the job of fighting Brisbane's fire ants. While Queensland's fire ants appear to be confined to the two epicentres, they have been detected at outlying sites - one at Cooroy, behind the Sunshine Coast, and one in Melbourne. Both incidents were brought about by the movement of infested pot plants from a nursery in the heart of Brisbane's south-west. The DPI killed the ants at both outlying sites, and have traced plant movements both backwards and forwards from suspect nurseries. But the possibilities are sobering. The situation in the United States is that eradicating Solenopsis invicta is simply not possible. Even though the ants arrived in the 1930s it was not until 1957 that Congress approved funds to fight them. By then it was too late. The exception may be California's Orange County, where a small infestation similar to Brisbane's has been detected. The good news is that the Brisbane fire ants may be beatable. One of the first things the DPI did was to import a group of fire ant experts from the United States to assess the Brisbane outbreak. When they'd finished, the Americans -Professor Bart Drees and Dr Charles Barr from the Texas A&M University and Dr Sanford Porter from the US Department of Agriculture -gave us an 80% chance of beating the fire ant. There was a caveat. There was no time to lose. The DPI's first move was to help the public and business enterprises as and where needed. There were examples where ants were causing immediate problems, such as stinging children and pets in suburban backyards. Ants turned up in pot plants in commercial nurseries, and in parks and school playgrounds. The department's Fire Ant Control Centre responded by eliminating these ants. SIZE OF FIRE ANTS COMPARED WITH OTHER ANTS t Solenopsis invicta. r Fire ant CD CM £ Iridomyrmex £ "rufoniger. " rt Black ant Rhytidoponera "metallica. " Green-headed ant Camponotus sp. Sugar ant O) g Myrmecia m Bull ant Images of life by BioTrack* www. biotrack. mq. edu. au At the same time, Fire Ant Control began a scoping study to determine the feasability of an eradication program. It needed to understand the distribution and range of the ant, to control its spread, to look at the options for treating the pest - and finally, if it were possible, to develop a plan and a budget for eradication. As a result of the study, the controllers are now as confident as they can be that the ants remain confined to the two epicentres around the port and the south-western suburbs. There was also a major publicity campaign on the theme Don't Spread Fire Ants! This was based on the fire ants' precocious ability to travel in a range of media including soil, sand and gravel, mulch and hay and nursery products such as potted plants. Fire Ant Control found itself working closely with soil, sand and gravel agents and the turf and nursery industries to try to control the spread of the ant. But the main game was the total eradication of the fire ant - and for that the control team has to wait for spring. The reason for this is that the ants enter a semi-dormant phase in cold weather. They begin to feed and forage far more widely as the weather warms up, and this has become the key to the eradication plan. PATON FERTILIZERS Multiagri@Range The best of both worlds in plant nutrition. Combination of conventional/regular fertilizers and controlled release Ł Multiagri® 24 24:0:10 + Fe Higher Nitrogen and Iron for Spring turf needs. Ł Multiagri® 18 18:1:16 + Fe Balanced Nitrogen & Potasium for Summer growth replacement Ł Multiagri ©20 20:5:10 + Fe Balanced N:P:K for landscape and general gardens Ł 5 Multiagri® blends in the range ® Registered Trademark of Haifa chemicals Ltd FOR A PRODUCT LIST AND DISTRIBUTOR DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT US ON FREECALL: 1800 644 753 Available from your Paton Turf Distributor A T NI Blair Roots is the Media Officer with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries Red Imported Fire Ants - Life Cycle and Habits Established colonies produce new queens and winged ; males during warm spring and summer months. These winged reproductives swarm periodically, usually 5 to 9 times a year, often after a rain. Mated queens ; attempt to establish a new colony by digging a small hole in the soil and closing up the entrance. Inside this ) chamber, the queen lays 15 to 20 eggs in 2 to 3 days, j More eggs are added over the next week by which time the first eggs hatch. The queen picks up the j young larvae and sorts them into groups. The larvae j are fed a liquid regurgitated by the queen. After 20 to 25 days, the larvae pupate and tiny i workers emerge 4 to 7 days later. These first workers " are about 1/5 the size of the smallest workers found in an older colony. These workers break open the j nesting chamber and begin foraging for insect food i and start to enlarge the nest. The queen, now fed by i workers, begins to lay more eggs, which are cared for I by the workers. If food and water are adequate, the \ colony steadily grows over the next few months. If a colony is established in spring, it may contain 6,000 to > 7,000 individuals by the autumn. As the soil temperature drops, the colony growth ] slows. By the following spring, a one-year-old colony Ł may have 10,000 to 15,000 workers and can be « producing new winged forms. Colonies 2 to 3 years I old may have 20,000 to 200,000 workers. Established mounds will have a central pile of I granular soil with openings and often have smaller I mounds around the perimeter. From: Destructive Turf Insects (2nd edition) Harry D. Niemczyk Ph.D. and David J. Shetlar, Ph.D. See review on page 51 Ł The DPI will therefore need the cooperation of the public in terms of entering properties to carry out the treatments. The public will also need to accept that the bait material will produce no ill effects in terms of human health. In fact, the materials used in the baits are virtually harmless to people. The Fire Ant Control Centre's scientific staff calculate that a 100kg person would have to eat about 15kg of corn granules containing the hydramethylnon to have any chance of an ill effect; with S-methoprene, that person would have to consume about seven times their own body weight. For quick and effective treatment of problem nests the teams are using chlorpyrifos, already widely used in the turf industry for lawn grub control. Chlorpyrifos is injected into the nests to exterminate the colony; it is mildly toxic to humans but is used in low concentrations and at the time of writing the Fire Ant Control Centre had used only about five litres in total. The seriousness of the fire ant threat is illustrated by the fact that discussions on its control reached the level of ARMCANZ - the Agricultural and Resources Ministerial Council of Australia and New Zealand. On the basis that the ant has the ability to infest all but the coldest areas of Australia and cover a possible area of 600,000 square km, our agriculture ministers have devoted a massive $123 millon to the project, to be shared equally between the Commonwealth and the States. When, in three years time, the treatment phase is complete, the infested area will be monitored for The eradication campaign will involve the distribution of a low toxicity bait which the ants, in theory, will take back into the nests and feed to the queens, thus eliminating the colonies. The bait consists of corn granules coated with soybean oil to attract the ants. Mixed with the soybean oil will be a combination of a metabolic growth inhibitor (hydramethylnon) and an insect growth regulator (S-methoprene). The active ingredients will make up only about 1 % of the bait. The combination will be used only for the first of twelve applications of the bait over three years. The remaining eleven treatments will involve the use of only the insect growth regulator, which acts as a sort of birth control by preventing the ants from reaching reproductive maturity. The Fire Ant Control Centre has now embarked on a critical phase of the eradication campaign: securing the cooperation of the public. The campaign will involve treating every backyard and commercial property within the infested zones with the corn granule baits. The reason for this total treatment is that fire ants can be present on a property without being visible. Their characteristic dome-shaped mounds may only become apparent after several months. fire ant activity. If no ants are found over two years, the eradication will be considered a success. If that happens, it will be the first time anywhere in the world it has ever been done, a GREENMAW PTY LTD GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION Ł Construction Ł Remodelling Ł Equipment Greenmaw Constructed Courses: Ł The Ocean Course, The National. Cape Schanck, Vic Ł The AGU Open Championship Course, Moonah Links, Vic Ł The Dukes Course, St Andrews Scotland. Ł The Links, Port Douglas, Far North Old. MH 400 TyCrop topdresser with cross-conveyer & swivel. ph: 03 5976 2455 greenmaw@bigpond.com MH 400 TyCrop Topdressing: Cross-conveyer & swivel for Ł bunkers Ł screenings for drainage Low ground pressure. Hydraulic operation. Reduces wastage. 3 cubic metre capacity 19 metre throw Line Planter: Approx 1 Ha/day of Couch stolons. Supplied with or without Tractor. Proven results: Ł Ocean Course, The National. Ł Moonah Links, Rye. Ł The Links, Port Douglas. Line planter in operation at Ocean Course, The National, Cape Shank. ho A T M Aventis Environmental Science Chipco Choice and Merit Turf are new generation insecticides specifically developed for use on sports turf. Their unequalled long term residual control against selected turf insect pests, excellent environmental profiles and exceptional user safety mean that turf managers, players and other visitors can all enjoy the greener results. Insect Control Environmental Science Division, Aventis CropScience Pty Ltd ACN 000226 022 391-393 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East, Vic 3123, Australia Phone: 03 9248 6888 Fax: 03 9248 6800 Internet: www.cs.aventis.com.au 'Chipco and Choice are registered trademarks of Aventis "Merit is a registered trademark of Bayer AES333M3/ATM/The Hopkins Part. SHORT OF CAPITAL? Wheelease can help you overcome your capital requirements to upgrade, replace or add new equipment with a number of innovative leasing products tailored for the Golf and Turf management industries. We offer fully maintained (maintenance and insurance inclusive) leasing solutions for: Golf cars and Utility vehicles, Turf Maintenance Equipment and Motor Vehicles. The continuing rise in golfs popularity has caused an increase in the number and quality of courses. This has led to intense competition amongst courses to attract players, many of whom expect your course to be in tournament condition every day. This demand for course quality has meant that Clubs must employ the most up-to-date technology when it comes to course maintenance equipment. Today's most advanced equipment not only provides the best performance, it also has reduced maintenance requirements and less downtime. This in turn provides the club with the greatest return on investment. Whether your Club is private or public, city or country, the pressures on capital are the same. There is never enough capital available for you to update your equipment when its performance begins to suffer or breakdowns become a way of life. Leasing overcomes the restrictions of a tight capital budget. It conserves cash flow and allows you to operate a greater range of better equipment than what your Club can realistically afford to own. Leasing puts all clubs on an equal footing when it comes to their ability to operate the latest equipment whilst at the same time reserving available capital for use in upgrading the course layout, replacing or improving the club rooms or equipment sheds or undertaking some other necessary capital improvement to the club's infrastructure. The move from the outright purchase of equipment in favour of leasing has taken some time for the turf and golf industries to embrace and as a result, there are few financiers specialising in providing leasing finance for these industries. Those organisations that have moved to leasing for their capital equipment have found that they needed to deal with different financiers for each piece of equipment, as there was no specialist financier addressing all the industries' needs. The entry of Wheelease into the marketplace has changed all that by making it possible for you to deal with only one financier for all your leasing needs, irrespective of the type and manufacturer of the equipment you are leasing. Savings will be made in accounts administration because you will receive one only invoice and need to make only one payment per month to cover all your financing requirements The principals of Wheelease have used their wealth of experience gained over many years in the motor vehicle leasing and fleet management industry to develop sophisticated and flexible leasing solutions to satisfy your capital equipment financing requirements. We have also identified the need for clubs to have some certainty about the on-going operational cost of equipment they use and to that end, we are offering all of our leasing products with a fully maintained option. Our fully maintained option includes all scheduled and remedial maintenance (including the cost of labour and parts) other than that resulting from misuse or abuse of the equipment, and comprehensive insurance. The inclusion of maintenance and insurance into the leasing facility changes the cost of operating these assets from a variable cost to a fixed cost which in turn assists in cash flow planning and budgetary control. Our portfolio of leasing products, all of which can include a fully maintained option, include: Operating Lease Operating leases are also known as rental, or long-term hire, agreements and are "off balance sheet". Under an operating lease, it is the lessor who sets the residual value of the equipment and who is responsible for the equipment's value at lease end. The lessee has no exposure to the vagaries of the used equipment marketplace. Operating leases have been widely used for the provision of motor vehicle fleets in Australia for the past 20 years. Seasonal Lease In order to meet the cash flow requirements of the golfing industry, in particular for the financing of golf cars, we have developed a unique seasonal leasing concept, which provides significantly lower monthly lease payments in those months when patronage is down - e.g. during the colder months in the southern states and the wet season in the north. Our Seasonal Lease is a fully maintained (inclusive of all scheduled maintenance and comprehensive insurance) operating lease available for all golf course maintenance equipment and golf cars. Under our Seasonal Lease, monthly payments in the "off season" are approximately a third less than they would be under a traditional lease structure where monthly lease payments remain constant throughout the term of the lease. Finance Lease A finance lease is the traditional lease where the lessee is responsible for the residual value of the equipment at lease end. At the end of the lease, the lessee can either return the equipment to the lessor along with any difference between the equipment's market value, if lower than the residual value, and the residual value or offer to purchase the equipment from the lessor for the residual value. Finance leases are "on balance sheet". Sale and Leaseback Receive a cash injection to carry out capital improvements to your course and its infrastructure by turning your owned plant and equipment (i.e. motor vehicles, golf cars or course maintenance equipment) into cash by selling it to us at an agreed value and leasing it back over periods in line with its remaining economic life. Whether your requirement is to upgrade existing, or add new turf maintenance equipment, replace or increase your motor vehicle or golf car fleet, Wheelease has a fully maintained leasing solution to satisfy your requirements. When you're next in the market for capital equipment, please feel free to contact us at the address below for an obligation free quotation. If you would like to know a little more about our full range of leasing products and associated services, visit us on the Internet at www.wheelease.com.au. UJheeFeose Suite 5, 242 Hawthorn Road Caulfied Ph: 03 9524 3157 Fax: 03 9524 3111 www.wheelease.com.au email: info@wheelease.com.au Ł an 1 I UTILISING FOLLOWING LEASING Golf Cars Turf M ai otor Vehicles ICTS: Utility hides e Equipment I -I l Š' iVMfn jjfT?"» Ł Operating lease/rental - fi monthly payments with no residual risk for the lessee Sfev Ł Seasonal lease - our unique lease concept where monthly payments are structured to match cash flows with no residual risk for the lessee Ł Finance lease-fixed monthly payments with the lessee guaranteeing the future (residual) value of the equipment YOU NEED IT, WHEELEASE IT! Sale and leaseback - turn you currently owned equipment into cash and lease it back under one of the leasing structures above. Contact us today for an obligation free discussion on how Wheelease can assist you in conserving your capital whilst at the same time ensuring you have access to the latest and most technologically advanced equipment. wheelease - Mode of Action TECHMEE es The mode of action of a pesticide is "the means by which a pesticide exerts its toxic effect on an organism" (4). Synthetic insecticides exert their effect on the central nervous system (CNS) of the target insect, there are a multitude of sites on the CNS that an insecticide can act upon. In recent times, biological controls have been introduced to the turf market, and the mode-of-action of these varies with each organism used. SYNTHETIC INSECTICIDES When discussing the mode of action of a synthetic insecticide it is important to have an understanding of the intended target area (central nervous system) in order to be able to understand the various forms of insecticidal activity. "Information flow through nervous systems depends upon moment-by-moment integration of excitatory and inhibitory signals that act upon the neuron's of given pathways"(5). This information flow is a one way transport system where a message is sent via an electrical charge along the nervous system. Three types of neurons are classified by function: sensory neurons, motor neurons and interneurons. The intemeurons connect the sensory and motor neurons (4). Each neuron consists of axons that transmit the impulses. To transmit a signal from one axon to another, the signal must be sent across what is called the synaptic gap (or cleft). In order to do this a chemical signal is sent to a corresponding receptor on the post-synaptic side. Synthetic insecticides work in either the synaptic gap or along the axonic pathway. SYNAPTIC POISONS Most synthetic insecticides work in the synaptic gap. They achieve this by mimicking the nerve's chemical signals that are sent from the pre-synaptic nerve terminal. For every excitatory signal that is sent, a corresponding inhibitory signal is also sent. The signal chemical is de-activated by a specific enzyme. 114 The exact action of a synaptic poison then differs depending upon the chemical group. Organophosphates This group of insecticides work by inhibiting the enzyme cholinesterase in the synaptic gap. By a process called phosphorylation, the cholinesterase enzyme is bound to the insecticide molecule making it unavailable to inhibit the excitatory signal, acetylcholine, resulting in an over stimulation of the nervous system. This process is persistent with reactivation of the enzyme taking many hours or even days (2). The excess of acetylcholine in the synaptic gap causes rapid twitching of voluntary muscles and finally paralysis. eg. Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Fenamiphos, Trichlorfon Carbamates This group of insecticides also works by inhibiting the enzyme cholinesterase in the synaptic gap. By a process called carbamylation, the cholinesterase enzyme is bound to the insecticide molecule making it unavailable to inhibit the excitatory signal, acetylcholine, resulting in an over stimulation of the nervous system. Compared to phosphorylation, the carbamylated enzyme is relatively less stable, it will typically break down over a course of a few minutes (2). As with organophosphates, the excess of acetylcholine in the synaptic gap causes rapid twitching of voluntary muscles and finally paralysis. eg. Carbaryl, Bendiocarb Chloronicotinyls Similar to the Organophosphates and Carbamates this group of chemicals causes an over excitation of the nervous system by causing an excess of acetylcholine in the synaptic gap. The major difference with a Chloronicotinyl is that the active ingredient will mimic the acetylcholine signal and block the post-synaptic receptor open. However as the Chloronicotinyl molecule is slightly different in structure it is not liable to be hydrolysed by the acetylcholine antagonist, cholinesterase. This allows a constant influx of sodium and calcium ions into the post-synaptic cell. This persistent activation leads to an over-stimulation resulting in hyper-excitation, convulsions, paralysis, and death of the insect. eg. Imidacloprid Fiproles The Fiproles work by mimicking GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), an inhibitory signal sent from the pre-synaptic nerve terminal. They bind to the post-synaptic receptor for the GABA signal. When this receptor is "stuck" open it allows an influx of chloride ions into the post-synaptic neuron. This has a dampening effect on nerve impulses firing. As the fiproles work on an inhibitory signal, the resultant effect is generally a lot slower and not as pronounced as that experienced with an organoph-osphate or synthetic pyrethroid insecticides. eg. Fipronil (source: Starr, 2000) Plasma membrane of axon ending Plasma membrane of postsynaptic cell A T M AXONIC POISONS Messages are passed along axons via electrical impulses, this is achieved by altering the normal charge of the axon. Under resting conditions there is a large number of Na+ ions on the outside of the axon and very few inside. the axon. Also, there are a large number of K+ ions on the inside and very few outside. This results in a positive charge on the outside of the axon and a negative charge on the inside of As a message is sent along the axon, a sodium channel is opened allowing increased amounts of sodium to enter inside the axon. At the same time a potassium channel is opened, allowing increased amounts of potassium on the outside of the axon. This has the effect of altering the charge of the axon on the outside to negative, and on the inside to positive. Once the message has passed by, the sodium and potassium channels shut, restoring the outside of the axon to a positive charge and the inside to a negative charge. Synthetic Pyrethroids The synthetic pyrethroids are the only group of axonic poisons that are used in the turf industry. They exhibit their action by keeping the sodium channels along the axons open. This creates intense electrical activity that results in over excitation by the insect's nervous system. This intense electrical activity results in a fast-acting response that is usually evident within minutes of the insect coming into contact with the insecticide. eg. Bifenthrin, Cyfluthrin, Permethrin TOTAL TURF SOLUTIONS SPOTPAKS Our most popular 12 volt sprayers Ł In-built carry handle and 6 metre hose on all models Ł 200, 100 & 50 litre powered by 12 volt DC Shurflo pump 5.3lt/min. 400 kPa (60psi) Ł 14 & 20 litre powered by 12 volt DC Flojet pump 3.8lt/min. 235kPa (35psi) Ł Optional Spotpak 20 litre unit with battery and recharger also available Ł Simply connect to 12 volt DC power Ł Tie down straps optional 300 LITRE LIGHTFOOT Ł Single axle with 22x11x8 mud I puppy tyres Ł Large range of options for both [ 12v and motorised models Ł Available in both a tow or ! trolley assembly Ł Ideal for nurseries, vineyards or small acreage properties Ł Pumps ranging from 5.3lt to 18.5lt/min (motorised) Ł Optional booms, hosereels and accessories also available Siiuan m SILVAN PUMPS & SPRAYERS (AUST.) PTY LTD ACN OOS IÔO 074 ABN 55 061 908 258 ^M Head Office: 89 Lewis Rd. Wantirna Sth. Victoria 3152 Ph: (03) 9887 2788 Fax: (03) 9887 1035 fal Li | LJ OLD: 44 Lysaght St. Acacia Ridge QLD 4110 Ph: (07) 3345 9500 Fax: (07) 3345 9511 W | il WA Office: 19 Han well Way, Bassendean WA 6054 Ph: (08) 9279 0800 Fax: (08) 9279 0810 Quality Agricultural & industrial Accessories For further information or your nearest dealer visit our website at www.silvanagcess.com.au •l•CTA A T M 15| TECH ELL" BIOLOGICALS Entomopathogenic Nematodes Entomopathogenic nematodes (EN's) primarily belong to two genera, Steinernema, which has 18 species and Heterorhabditis having 8 species (1). Third stage larvae are the infectious stage, ranging in size from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm in length. At this stage, the ENs can survive outside the host, as they do not require food. They have a closed mouth and anus and cannot feed until they find insect tissue. The EN is activated by insect movement and follows a carbon dioxide gradient to find the target pest. They enter the host through one of its natural openings (mouth, anus, and spiracles) where they gain entry into the blood cavity. (1) The nematode larva then releases a highly specialised symbiotic bacteria (Xenorhabdus spp. in Steinernema and Photorhabdus spp. in Heterorhabditis) into the insect's body and toxins produced by these rapidly multiplying bacteria kill the insect within 48 hours (3). The bacteria then digest the insects body into material that the nematode can feed upon, while also producing antibiotics that preserve the dead insect, while the fourth stage nematodes develop into males and females that reproduce sexually. After mating the male dies and females lay eggs. The immature larvae remain inside the insect cadaver until reaching the 3rd stage, at which time they leave the dead insect to seek out a new host. Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki is a fungus that produces protein walled fruiting bodies during sporulation, which carry insecticidal toxins. These bodies are ingested by the larvae of most insects within the order Lepidoptera. Once inside the insect the sporal proteins become solubilised and organisms within the insect's gut convert the original toxin into smaller toxins. These toxins then tightly bind to the insects gut cells at specific receptor binding sites. This disruption causes the formation of large pores that increase water permeability of the cell membrane resulting in large uptakes of water, causing swelling and eventual rupture of gut cells. This destroys the insect's gut lining preventing feeding. The insect dies several days later (3). Metarhizium flavoviride Metarhizium flavoviride is classed as an entomopathogen, whereby the fungus attacks the target insect by penetration of the cuticle and invasion of the fluids that bathes tissues (source: Ecogrow Australia) responsible for protein formation within the insect. This results in the insect becoming lethargic, and will eventually cease feeding. Death follows several days later. The fungus sporulates from the dead insect tissues outside the cadaver providing a source for continued infestation (3). a (1) Bedding, R. 2000. Nematodes and Their Use in Controlling Insect Pests in Turf. Proceedings of the Millennium Turf grass Conference. Australian Coif Course Superintendents Association (2)Bloomquist J R. Insecticides: Chemistry and Characteristics. http://ipmworld. umn. edu/chapters/bloomq. htm (3)British Crop Protection Council. 1998. The Biopesticide Manual, First Edition. (4) Potter, DA. 1998. Destructive Turf grass Insects. Biology, Diagnosis, and Control. Ann Arbor Press, Inc. (5) Starr, C. 2000. Biology: concepts and applications 4th Edition. Brooks/Cole Walk tall. Carry a big stick. Drive This. Sometimes you just have to get tough. And when you do, get an E-Z-GO. With standard features like an 11 hp 350cc engine, a 544kg. payload capacity and an exclusive heavy-duty bed liner, it has everything you need to handle the big jobs. It carries sand, gravel, bales of straw, building materials, and all your tools and equipment. Optional extras include an oversized cargo bed and power dump. So, when the going gets tough, get to your E-Z-GO dealer. I =H—H.r I THE FINEST UTILITY VEHICLES IN THE WORLD. David Golf & Engineering (03) 9540 0011 Victoria (02) 9565 1588 N.S.W. Ł National Golf & Industrial Vehicles (07) 33446777 Brisbane Trac power (07) 47726455 North Queensland Ł Mcintosh & Sons (08) 94782400 Western Australia Ł Rapid Drive Golf Carts (08) 85527377 South Australia Tasmania Farm Equipment (03) 63402811 Tasmania Ł Head Office (07) 55293022 Gold Coast © 2001 Textron Golf, Turf & Specialty Products Ł Shown:E-Z-GO 1200G-LX Ł www.ezgo.com Ł e-mail: ezgo@ezgo.textron.com He A T M Nu turf, turfsolutions 360 Degrees of Green keeping^ above the rest Nuturf turf-solutions range includes: 200 litre Trailer Sprayers 15 litre heavy duty knapsack 50 litre Turf and Garden Sprayer 200, 450, 1000 & 1 200 litre Trailed Golf & Turf Sprayers 500 litre linkage mounted Agripaks, and many others. All units feature reliable, strong frames, easy to clean, UV and chemical resistant tanks, and application controls to suit your needs. Contact Nuturf today for more turf-solutions information. FREEPHONE: 1800 631 008 FREEFAX: 1800 809 456 WHEN YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET ON THE COURSE, You NEED A PARTNER YOU CAN COUNT ON. -fc. 1 rat-i s» fctf ''-..v.'-.:.*.. A. /-Ł n, - : WWW.JOHNDEERE.COM For every job on your course, there s a John Deere made especially for it. A full-line of quality equipment, born out of the suggestions and critiques of thousands of superintendents and technicians. From quality mowers and tractors to aerators and utility vehicles. But it doesn't end there. We supply you with the industry's best operator manuals and tech literature and we offer the JDCŽ Masterlease*, the most cost-effective way to acquire golf and turf equipment. To see how John Deere can make a difference on your course, call your local John Deere Golf & Turf dealer, or freecall 1800 800 981. V\ SR» JOHN DEERE CREDIT CP-GOLF&TURF-GOLF&SPORTSTURF-7-01 ABN 21 008 671 725. * JDC Masterlease not yet available in New Zealand. NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEERE® JOHN DEERE * » . Ł 1 . ... -- * Jeff Lane is the superintendent from Gosnells Golf Course in WA. He recently arranged to spend 5 weeks traveling and taking a peak at some of the world's famous golf courses. Amongst the courses he visited are the famed St Andrews, Sunningdale, Shinnicock Hills, The National, Pine Valley, Merion, and Cypress Point. While he was in the US, Jeff also had the opportunity to spend a week in Moline, Illinois observing the preparation for, and running of one of the PGA Tours newest tournaments, The John Deere Classic. This is Jeffs story. "My week at TPC at Deere Run began with a welcome reception dinner at John Deere Headquarters on Sunday night along with all the other superintendents participating in the Pro-Am and John Deere Golf & Turf personnel. The next morning we had breakfast with guest speaker Jim Colbert from the Seniors Tour and then on to TPC at Deere Run for the inaugural John Deere Superintendent Pro-Am. What started out as just an opportunity to visit a PGA tournament was fast turning into one of the most exciting weeks of my trip. The Superintendent Pro-Am is a new concept which brings together Superintendents and their respective managers or greens chairmans for a few days to participate in this great event. I was partnered for the event with two international guests, John Wells, Superintendent from Brocket Hall in London, and Junichi Hamada, owner of a John Deere distributorship in Japan. Also making up our team was Chuck Greif, Worldwide Market Development and Intenational Sales Manager for John Deere Golf and Turf. Our professional was Tommy Tolles who was one of the nicest pros you could ever hope to meet. The day turned out to be the hottest day I've ever played golf in, with temperatures around 38 C and the humidity around 250%. We made light work of the water bottles available at each tee. The caddies provided were from the local schools, and were a huge blessing. Our team had got to 5 under after the first five holes before the PGA's radar system detected some lightning somewhere and called us all in for an hour and a half. Still, once we got back onto the course we managed to hold it together to finish 16 under for the day - good enough for third place. We were presented with a framed golf memorabilia picture, and John Deere merchandise. The day finished with dinner and presentations. The next day was another opportunity for us to play golf and raise thousands of dollars for local charities. A four ball ambrose event, at the Davenport Country Club turned out to be another great day. One of the more forgettable moments was on the hole where our best ball was lying between five or six big trees and we needed to all punch a low iron out and up the fairway. When my turn to hit came about, I chose to hit a 3-iron hard and low. Well I hit it hard and low but unfortunately straight out of the socket. It slammed into a tree 2 metres to the right and ricocheted straight back into my face before I had hardly even started my follow through. I luckily managed to escape unharmed, and although a little dazed, played the rest of the round reasonably well. Fortunately no one had caught that on film. These first two days which culminated with a paddle steamer cruise up the Mississippi were a real bonus to the week and typical of John Deere's wonderful hospitality and outstanding service and commitment to our industry. The real reason I was in Moline was to be a part of the John Deere Classic tournament preparation. I woke up at 3.30am on Thursday morning ready for a 4am start at the maintenance facility of TPC at Deere Run. Course Superintendent Pat Franklin was extremely friendly and allowed me to be involved in the days preparation for the John Deere Classic. At 4.30 am Toby and Scott, assistant superintendents, led a procession of about 20 John Deere Gators and 36 staff out into the darkness to prepare the first days play. On the next two mornings I had the opportunity to ride around with Scott and Toby and observe my first PGA major tournament preparation. The staff operated two five-hour shifts during the tournament. In the morning, greens were double cut with handmowers and the dew removed from fairways, aprons and pathways. The pro tees were also handmowed and holes changed. Another part of the large workforce was required to hand rake the bunkers- a PGA requirement. The other part of that requirement was that all of the grooves left by the rakes point in the direction of the shot. The evening shift comprised of handmowing all of the greens, collars, aprons and other tees. Surrounds were cut with triplex mowers and then John Deere 3235's were used to mow the fairways. Rolling of greens was also carried out where required along with any handwatering. Green speeds were monitored daily to ensure uniformity of between 10 and 10.5 feet on all greens. Pat and his staff did an excellent job over the tournament. Preparing all these bent grass surfaces during such extreme weather conditions was an enormous task. So what about the course itself? The land was bequeathed by a member of the John Deere family for public use. The golf course was then designed by PGA player, D.A. Weibring and is run entirely by the TPC. Along with all the other TPC venues in the US, the course is maintained exclusively by John Deere equipment, and the maintenance facility is a sight to behold. TPC at Deere Run is certainly a beautiful course. Its layout weaves through some picturesque hilly terrain making use of the natural landform, streams, trees and the Rock River. As I stated earlier, greens, tees, aprons and fairways were all bentgrass. Roughs were predominantly Kentucky blue grass. The course is a public facility that is able to cater for all levels of player. The course also fosters junior development with numerous junior tournaments and a greatly reduced junior green fee. Overall, my week in the mid-west was the highlight of my tour, far exceeding my expectations and giving me the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity in taking part in the preparation of a PGA tournament. I can't thank the people of John Deere enough for their friendship, generosity and hospitality during the week. I would especially like to thank Chuck and all the staff at John Deere in the US for their kindness, as well as Pat, Scott, Toby, Dan and all the other staff at TPC at Deere Run, for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to be a part of their team for the week. " Jeff with Tommy Tolles JOHN DEERE Preview a guide to the world of opinion & ideas HAVE YOU BEEN READ YOUR RIGHTS? PHIL GEORGE III! I'1 k Some would have you believe that growing grass is a case of 'just add water' but things are a little more complicated now and ignorance is poor defence. Over the last few years there has been some confusion over which turf varieties a golf course or turf farm can propagate without breaching the Plant Breeders Rights Act 1994(PBR). To conform with the 1991 revision of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (the UPOV Convention), the Australian Parliament has passed new legislation, the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 7994, replacing the Plant Variety Rights Act 1987, which has been repealed. Plant Breeder's Rights are exclusive commercial rights to a registered variety. The rights are a form of intellectual property, like patents and copyright, and are administered under the Act. In relation to propagating material of the registered variety, under the Act, without authorisation it is an infringement to; Ł commercially produce or reproduce the variety, Ł condition the material for the purpose of propagation, Ł offer the variety for sale, Ł sell the variety, Ł import or export the variety, Ł stock the variety for the purposes described above, Ł Use the name of the variety in relation to any other plant variety 120 Exceptions to the breeder's right are the use of the variety privately and for non-commercial purposes, for experimental purposes, and for breeding other plant varieties. A variety can be used for these purposes irrespective of the existence of Plant Breeder's Rights. Further details of the scope of the rights can be found in the Act. Copies of the Act and the Regulations are available from the web at: www.austlii.edu.au. New turf varieties are being constantly developed for sporting, commercial and domestic applications. Quite often these new varieties will be protected by PBR, as such the turf grass industry as a whole has to be aware of the implications of breaches to the Act. A golf course or turf farm purchasing a small quantity of a PBR protected variety for the purpose of trialing it to see if it is suitable for their particular area and application would not be infringing upon the rights of the PBR holder. However, if the variety was then propagated into a larger area such as a fairway or turf field without the consent of the PBR holder, the Company, Association, Club or individual would be in breach of the Act. To propagate a fairway, permission should be sought from the PBR holder. A fee or royalty may be payable which is generally calculated on the area to be covered. A T M In the case of a turf farm, the company would usually be required to apply for a grower's license, pay the required license fee and then pay the PBR holder a royalty based on the area sold over the life of the license. The example below shows the implications for superintendents, clubs and course owners in relation to the PBR Act. For infringements of the Act, the penalty is up to $50,000 for an individual or up to $250,000 in the case of a Corporation. "John Citizen is a Golf Course Superintendent at The Mars Golf Club and one spring he buys 1000m2 of a registered variety of couch grass that he plants out onto half of one fairway. That summer, the couch grass spreads vigorously and by the end of the growing season the entire fairway is completely covered with the registered couch grass. The following spring the club decides to extend the practice fairway and instead of buying new turf, John suggests that they use couch stolons left over from renovations that they had just done to the fairway that contains the registered variety. They proceed with the plan and by the end of that summer an additional 5000m2 is covered with the registered variety." John Citizen infringed the Act if he didn't have authorisation to propagate the first half of the fairway. The Mars Golf Club also infringed the Act if they didn't have authorisation to propagate the practice fairway with the registered variety, A * Photo courtesy of Lillydale Turf Farm [^m^éy^ J PRINCESS-77 has arrived in Australi M^BHHB^H^^HMN^ mm m rntmß V Ph: (02) 6672 1313 Fax: (02) 6672 5812 PO Box 102, Murwillumbah, NSW 2484 Email: seed@jhwilliams.com.au www.jhwilliams.com.au Williams J.H. WILLIAMS & SONS A.C N 000 117 359 A.B.N. 43 000 11 7 359 PRINCESS-77 is a breakthrough in turfgrass research using elite Bermuda couch selections from Australia. For the first time ever, Bermuda couch comparable to the likes of Tifway and Tifgreen is available from seed. With as little as 5 grams of seed per square meter, you can have premium turf that can be maintained at 4.75 mm. PRINCESS-77, she's a real beauty and she performs. P/KHIM8T0K SEED Exclusive distributors of these Pennington Seed Products: ^awk Distributor inquiries welcome US Protected Variety, PVPA 1994 THE COMPARATIVE COMPETITIVE ABILITY OF THIRTEEN AGROSTIS STOLONIFERA CULTIVARS TO POA ANNUA Abstract Poa annua has been an increasing problem on Agrostis stolonifera putting greens, especially with the lowering of the mowing height into the 2.5 to 3.8 mm range. Recently, a number of new Agrostis stolonifera cultivars have been released for use on putting greens. This investigation assesses the relative competitive ability of 13 Agrostis stolonifera cultivars under very closely mowed putting green cultural regime of 3.2 mm. The relative competitive ability is assessed by the transplanting of mature monostands of Poa annua into mature turfs of each of the 13 replicated Agrostis stolonifera cultivars. Four Agrostis stolonifera cultivars ranked superior in competitiveness with Poa annua, including Penn G2, Penn G6, Seaside II and Penn A1. Ranking lowest in aggressiveness under the very closely mowed conditions were Penncross and Pennlinks. Those Agrostis stolonifera cultivars sustaining shoot densities above 2000 dm2 exhibited the most competitiveness in suppressing the Poa annua content in polystands. These findings suggest that significant cultural control of Poa annua can be accomplished on closely mowed putting greens by the selection of certain Agrostis stolonifera cultivars that can sustain very high shoot densities under close mowing condition. fiifdrcW+ WATER INJECTION AERATION F SERVICING NSW, SA, VIC & QLD 122 Visit our website on www.hydro-turf.com.au A two-rig service is available through Summer. A T M Contact: Wally Bowkun on 0412 834 751. Email: Hydro_Turf@bigpond.com.au. J.B. BEARD, P. CROCE, M. MOCIONI, A. DE LUCA AND M. VOLTERRANI INTRODUCTION Agrostis stolonifera L. is used as a preferred turfgrass species on putting greens in Italy. It is uniquely adapted morphologically for use on putting greens (Beard, 1982). Extensive, prostate lateral stem development and high-shoot density have been sustained under frequent, close mowing of 4 to 6mm, depending on the cultivar. Recently the trend has been to tower cutting heights of 2.5 to 3.8 mm on putting greens. Penncross has been the cultivar most widely accepted and used throughout the word for the past 35 years. Recently, a number of new Agrostis stolonifera cultivars have been released, with some that can sustain extraordinarily high shoot densities and very-low cutting heights of 2.5mm to 3.2mm (Croce et al. 1998; Croce et al. 1994). Historically, Poa annua L. has been a significant problem on older putting greens. The objective of this investigation was to determine the comparative competitive ability of 13 Agrostis cultivars under a very-closely mowed putting green cultural regime. MATERIALS AND METHODS Establishment Eight commercially available cultivars of Agrostis stolonifera were planted onto a 600 m2 specially constructed experimental putting green located at the Torino Golf Club. The plot size was 2.0m x 3.5m and they were arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. In addition, five genotypes that were an advanced experimental selection of Agrostis stolonifera from Pennsylvania State University were planted in an adjacent area at the same time. These plots were 2.0m x 1.75m in size, with two replications in a randomized block design. The root zone profile construction was a high-sand composition meeting USGA/Texas specifications, including a gravel drainage bed and subsurface drainage system. The experimental area was planted on 4th May 1992. Preplant fertilisation consisted of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium incorporated into the upper 100mm of the root zone at the rate of 1 kg/100m2. All cultivars were planted at the seeding rate of 0.5kg/100m2, with the seed lightly raked into the surface. Vertical barrier boards were used to avoid contamination of seed between plots. No lateral movement occurred and successful turfgrass establishment was achieved with distinct perimeters between individual cultivar plots. Cultural practices During this study the cultural practices on the experimental putting green involved mowing six times per week in multiple directions at the 3.2mm cutting height using a triplex greensmower with the groomer attachment, and with clippings removed. The nitrogen fertilisation program consisted of 0.375 kg/100m2 per growing month from March through October, totaling 3.0kg/100m2 annually. The base phosphorus and potassium levels were applied as needed to maintain these nutrient levels in the 'high range' based on an annual chemical soil test. The pH of the root zone was 6.8. Supplemental water was applied as needed to prevent visual wilt of the turf via gear-driven, pop-up heads arranged in the tight spacing that sustained uniform moisture conditions across the experimental area. Topdressing was practiced at two-month intervals during the growing season at a rate of 0.16m7100m2, using the same mix composition as the underlying root zone. No turf cultivation or vertical cutting was practiced on the turfed plots, to avoid interplot genotype contamination. I I* and spreading ohwatér» m H m B Ł breaks down ^thatch and waste saiT in rn< rootzone I have no hesitation in recommending Kim O'Connor Corinda Bowls Club BARMAC INDUSTRIES PTY LTD 14 Annie Street ROCKLEA QLD 4106 Ph: 07 3255 6000 Fax: 07 3255 6600 A T M Disease and insect problems were minimal, except for dollar spot (Sclerotinia homeocarpa F.T. Bennett), which was allowed to develop with no fungicide applications made during 1993 growing season, in order to assess the relative cultivar susceptibility (Croce et al. 1993). A modest preventive fungicides program has been followed since 1995. No insecticides or herbicides have been applied. All emerging weeds were manually removed during the 1992 growing season. After the turfs had fully stabilized, weeds were allowed to develop across experimental area. Treatments A single 108mm diameter mature turf plug of Poa annua was transplanted into each replicate cultivar plot of the 13 Agrostis stolonifera cultivars. The same study and procedures were conducted in both 1998/1999 and 1999/2000. The plugs were transplanted on 23rd April 1998 (first study) and on 20th December 1999 (second study). The data presented will be for the first 1998-99 study, as the second 1999- 2000 study simply confirmed the results of the first study. Assessments The inward Agrostis stolonifera shoot invasion or outward Poa annua shoot encroachment were measured at approximately 30 day intervals through the April to October growing season. The base reference used was a template of the 108mm diameter perimeter placed over the original Poa annua turf plug, which had a surface area of 91.5cm2. Then two perpendicular diameters of the current perimeter were measured, a mean calculated, the corresponding surface area calculated, and the percent change in area compared to the original turf plug was calculated as a percent change. Morphological assessments of the 13 cultivars of Agrostis stolonifera turfs were made in September 1995, 1997 and 2000. They consisted of actual shoot density counts conducted on a 1,600mm2 area of turf. All the data were summarized at the end of each growing season and processed for statistical assessment with the analyses of variance for the eight older cultivars being analyzed separately from that for the five new cultivars. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Competitive Ability The relative competitive abilities of thirteen Agrostis stolonifera cultivars against a monostand of Poa annua are shown in Table 1. Following the April 23, 1998 transplanting of the Poa annua turf monostand there is a small decline in diameter of the Poa annua plugs across all cultivars, except for Cobra. This is followed by an increase in the diameter of the Poa annua monostand for all eight of the older cultivars, and a decreasing trend in diameter of the Poa annua monostand in the case of the five newer cultivars. Between August 13 and September 30 of 1998 there was a trend to an increasing Poa annua diameter in six of the eight older cultivars, whereas in the case of the five newer cultivars there was a decreasing trend in the Poa annua monostand diameter for three of the five cultivars, with the exceptions being Penn G6 and Penn G1. During the 1999 growing season, there was a decreasing trend in the size of the Poa annua monostand for most Agrostis stolonifera cultivars. A distinct shift was noted to a polystand of Poa annua and Agrostis Jacklin Seed added the top bentgrass to our game so you can be on top of yours. VIC - Turfcare Supplies (03) 9587 4993 NSW - Turfcare NSW (02) 9684 6611 Qld - Northern Rivers Rural Buying (07) 5537 7323 SA - T-Link (08) 8296 4231 WA - Symonds Seeds (08) 9443 7100 VP W rpmm Simplot Phone: 1-208-773-7581 Ł Fax: 208-773-4846 Ł www.jacklin.com ©2000 Jacklin Seed, A Division of Simplot all rights reserved Contact: John Matheson Ł phone/fax: (07) 5593 1553 Ł mobile: 0418 708 559 Ł email: jmatheson@simplot.com Ł web: www.jacklin.com 124 A T M Table 1. Comparative mean of percent Poa annua persisting in 108mm diameter turf plugs being invaded by each of thirteen Agrostis stolonifera cultivars CULTIVARS MEAN PERCENT POA ANNUA CONTENT 5/13/98 6/30/98 8/13/98 9/30/98 4/9/99 5/11/99 6/16/99 7/2/99 8/9/99 8/30/99 9/16/99 Southshore 90.9 100.7 46.1 MSBÊ 32.7 a* 20.1 a 87.5 97.3 78.8 94.6 90.7 76.2 63.7 49.4 39.3 ab 27.8 a 97.5 100.7 77.8 73.6 81.0 63.0 50.4 42.0 abc 30.5 a Cobra 103.1 102.6 83.3 80.1 72.7 69.4 51.6 44.0 36.4 ab 33.5 a Penneagle 94.0 101.6 82.0 86.0 88.2 73.7 67.1 57.2 41.1 29.2 a 36.0 ab 98.1 103.4 75.5 76.2 87.5 62.2 74.1 48.3 36.3 ab 37.3 b 92.1 73.9 80.6 85.5 85.8 64.4 56.0 55.3 c 51.5 be Penncross 96.4 103.5 74.4 84.3 77.8 73.7 59.7 50.0 be 58.4 c I LSD(P=0.05) 5.76 12.07 m 7.22 5.12 13.78 17.16 93.7 30.9 HQi 19.4 17.6 8.7a 0.0 a 84.0 77.6 54.9 54.9 37.7 38.7 35.7 22.5 26.1 0.0 a 3.9 b Seaside II 90.1 85.9 60.1 55.1 70.7 53.9 42.3 39.3 37.1 24.8 a 3.9 b Penn A1 91.0 75.7 62.0 51.5 48.7 34.9 41.7 28.3 27.5 16.0 a 8.7 b PennGI 94.6 77.5 51.7 60.5 51.7 50.9 36.9 27.1 24.9 11.8 a 23.6 b 19.53 35.52 19.67 10.33 23.57 25.54 23.18 Mean 95.5 90.5 63.0 su 43.4 42.2 30.9 41.0 Ł Duncan's test (P=0.05 ) stolonifera as the dominance of Poa annua decreased below 50% of the original transplanted diameter. Four Agrostis stolonifera cultivars ranked superior in competitiveness with Poa annua. They were in order: Penn G2, Penn G6, Seaside II and Penn A1. Ranking the lowest in aggressiveness against Poa annua under very-close mowing conditions were Penncross and Pennlinks. This data indicates that it is possible to achieve significant cultural control over Poa annua via the development and use of high-density Agrostis stolonifera cultivars that can sustain high shoot densities under very closely mowed putting green conditions. COMPLETE Complete 100% organic soil conditioner * m&o, MkÀài 4 » - . .. ^ .» ' * \ Ł ' lir Contains seaweed, hamate, mollasses, amino acids and wetting agents for quick and natural absorption. Turf & Irrigation can your /oc«/ J*J representative on Š ^ <Š {Š i Professional Products I T J I J » " * - Ł fw --t Ł Ł P w P,