NORTHWEST TURFGRASS TOPICS The Official Publication of the NorthwestTurfgrass Association Vol. 39, No. 2 Summer 1996 Victoria Conference Centre 50th Conference Sept. 30th - Oct. 3rd i \ \ x a t u u i l Equipment Distributors Inc. SEATTLE MAIN OFFICE • 20224 80th Ave. S., Kent, WA 98032 (206) 872-8858 FAX (206) 872-6942 SPOKANE • E. 2824 Garland, Spokane, WA 99207 (509) 483-8665 (509) 483-7563 AERATORS RIDING REEL MOWERS RYAN • TORO TORO BLOWERS SHARPENING EQUIPMENT GIANT VAC • TORO EASYRAKE • MARUYAMA FOLEY • DUAL EXPRESS SNO-BLOWERS EDGERS EXPRESS DUAL HANSON • TORO TORO CUSHMAN B U I L T TO L A S T RYAN' TURF-CARE EQUIPMENT SOD CUTTERS GOLF COURSE SUPPLIES RYAN PAR AID • STANDARD SPRAYERS HEDGE TRIMMERS Kawasaki MARUYAMA CUSHMAN • ETEC • SDI MARUYAMA • TORO IRRIGATION SPREADERS TORO LELY • TORO LINE TRIMMERS SWEEPERS MARUYAMA TORO • SWEEPSTER jtm eiec \WTÏÏTÏÏIM> OVERSEEDERS TOP DRESSERS TORO • RYAN TORO POWER RAKES CUSHMAN • KAWASAKI SPRINTER • TORO CLUB CAR VEHICLES QLhY TORO • RYAN WALK ROTARY MOWERS LAWN BOY • TORO VEHICLES INDUSTRIAL RIDING ROTARY MOWERS CUSHMAN • KAWASAKI SPRINTER • TORO CLUB CAR TORO Par Aide STANDARD GOLFl^T- Ï® TRANSPORTATION & UTILITY VEHICLES ^ M A R U Y A M A i EDITORIAL COMMENT: Well, as editor of this newsletter, I made the most common error of the printed media business - a "TYPO". My printer told me, "Now, you know that no matter how many times you proofread this copy, you will miss something!" Articles are written, faxed to me, presented typed, and/or formatted on a disc to re translated into columnar print in the newsletter. I read every word three to five times throughout the process of newsletter production and the mind "sees" what it intends to see sometimes and not what is actually there. Conference Turf Tour, Roy L. Goss Research Golf Tournament, Companion Program, and Annual Banquet are all part of our celebration of the past 50 years. No successful program is a "one-man show." Considerable effort by your Board of Directors and committee members on your behalf as members make everything the NTA does successful or not. This years conference will attempt to acknowledge the past and look to the future. So many things are under consideration that will affect NTA's future at times it "boggles the mind". In the article on page 20 of Volume 39, No. 1 Spring '96, by Greg Crawford, Is it possible to consolidate efforts for Media Director, entitled Spikeless Golf research and education in the Pacific Shpe? Qgining Momentum, he quotes Walter Mattison, CGCS, as saying, "Since our ban took Presidents Message effect on May 1, 1996, I have noticed a difference Evaluation of Diverse Kentucky Bluegrass for the better in our for Potential Turfgrass Users! putting surfaces. I have always been a proponent Professionalism, W h o s e Turf? of alternative spikes and I Screening Antagonistic Microorganisms am now (not was printed) Northwest? Could turf students at WSU, OSU, UBC, as well as others in other population centers be taught by professors from all the universities by fiber optic two-way video conferencing? Can we make reasonably sure that our Pacific Northwest research needs haven't already been done somewhere else in the world? Can we spread the financial funding for research to the true benefactors of the results? How about a single "source book" for all golf courses and professional turf managers in the Pacific Northwest? All these things and more are being considered and are possible. We are limited only by the imagination, determination and persistence of the gifted professionals in the turfgrass industry. NORTHWEST TURFGRASS TOPICS convinced more than ever alternative spikes are the way to go." Sorry, Greg and Walter - I'll try harder!! In this edition, either as part of the newsletter or as an insert, information regarding the 50th Northwest Turfgrass conference to be held in Victoria, British Columbia, is included. The outline of the Educational conference itself, the pre-conference seminar co-sponsored by the University of British Columbia and Northwest Turfgrass Association, the Pre- 4 STAY TUNED, THERE'S MORE TO COMEI! Donald A. Clemans, C.P.Ag. Executive Director 5 7 9 5 0 t h Conference Information Conference Dates A Conference Details B G o i n g for Greener Conference D Goss Golf Tournament Research E C o m p a n i o n Program F Pre-Conference Turf Tour F Full Conference Schedule G Conference Registration Form H Balancing Environmental Concerns 12 Indoor Turfgrass for W o r l d Cup ' 9 4 & Beyond 14 Don Bryan & Noseworthy Banquet Entertainment 18 COVER PHOTO: 'Sunken Garden Spring" Provided Courtesy of the Butchart Gardens PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE DO NOT MISS GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 50THNTA CONFERENCE VICTORIA, B.C. SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 3, 1996 SEE YOU THERE!!! THOMAS A. CHRISTY CGCS INGLWOOD COUNTRY CLUB KENMORE, WASHINGTON PAGE 4 EVALUATION OF DIVERSE KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS 1 FOR POTENTIAL TURFGRASS USES! Matthew C. Nelson, Dr. William 1 Presented at the 49th Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Washington, October 8-12, 1995. 2 Graduate student, Assistant Professor, Agronomist, and Research Technician III, respectively, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University and USDA/ARS, Pullman, Washington. INTRODUCTION Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is used in over 4 0 million North American lawns and is an important turfgrass for golf courses, parks, and sports fields (Bashaw and Funk, 1987). The tri-state region of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon produces more than 75% of U.S. Kentucky bluegrass seed (Ensign et al., 1989). The USDA-ARS plant introduction collection of Kentucky bluegrass consists of 267 diverse germplasm accessions from 27 countries, and may contain genotypes that have improved turfgrass characteristics and improved seed production capacity under traditional (burning) and alternative (non-burning) residue management strategies. Basic evaluation of this collection for agronomic descriptors has not, however, been completed and is needed to identify genotypes for residue management studies. From the collection, 228 accessions were evaluated along with 17 established cultivars from eight diverse morphological groupings (Table l)(Murphy, 1990). OBJECTIVES 1. Evaluate the USDA-ARS Kentucky bluegrass collection for agronomic descriptors. 2. Establish a core collection representing morphological diversity within the USDAARS collection. 3. Select accessions based on turf quality and seed yield, for future studies of turfgrass quality and seed production under alternative residue management systems. J. Johnston, Dr. Richard C. Johnson, and Charles T. MATERIALS AND METHODS Germplasm accessions were evaluated for diversity at a 28- by 28-m irrigated site at Pullman, W A. Accessions were planted in 1-m strips with 0.3 m spacing in a randomized complete-block design with three replications. A total of 245 germplasm accessions were planted on 24 May 1994. Evaluation parameters (Table 2) were adapted from the standard descriptor list developed by the Forage and Turf Grass Crop Germplasm Committee. The plot was irrigated during the first growing season, and not irrigated during the second growing season. Broadleaf weeds were controlled with 0.42 kg a.i. hal bromoxyinil (Buctril) during establishment. Witchgrass (Panicum capillare L.) was treated with two applications of MSMA (Bueno 6) at 4.6 kg a.i. ha-1 on 21 June 1994 and 12 July 1994 (Robocker et al., 1977). Heading date, flowering date, and harvest date were measured in Julian days. Seed was hand harvested, threshed, air cleaned, and weighed for yield. In cases when plant stand was less than the 1 m planted, yield was adjusted to be proportional to 1 m. Cluster analysis was completed with SAS using Ward's clustering method (Romesberg, 1984). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Data were collected on 17 parameters for 245 diverse Kentucky bluegrasses (Table 2). Wide variation existed in disease resistance, seed yield, and dwarfing character. Although highly significant, less relative variability existed in heading, flowering, and harvest dates. A core collection was generated from the data by cluster analysis. Twenty-two clusters were developed and one representative accession from each cluster was chosen at random to constitute the core collection (Table 3). This core represented 12 countries and approximately 10% of the accessions studied (228 PI accessions). Cluster data for turf poten- Golob. tial and seed yield are presented in Table 4. Clusters 14, 15, and 16 all contain accessions with high seed yield. Clusters 9 and 11 represented dwarf types, with generally good turf characteristics, but relatively low seed yields. Clusters 10 and 12 also had accessions with good turf characteristics, and cluster 16 had accessions with good seed yield and turf characteristics. Cluster 22 represented fine textured types, and clusters 17 and 18 represented accessions with forage type characteristics. The core collection, nine cultivar checks, and 17 selections based on turfgrass potential and seed yield were chosen for future studies of seed yield under alternative residue management strategies and turfgrass characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Variability within the USDA-ARS plant introduction Kentucky bluegrass collection was pronounced; all parameters evaluated were highly significant. Although more testing is needed, germplasm within the collection has been identified that was superior for some traits compared to widely used established cultivars. Due to such variation, there is potential for selection of germplasm with improved seed yield under alternative residue management regimes, and improved turfgrass quality. Evaluation data will be available on the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) and PI collection seed is available from the W estern Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, WA. REFERENCES Bashaw, E. C , and C. R. Funk. 1987. Apomictic grasses p. 40-82. In W. R. Fehr (ed.) Principles of cultivar development. Vol. 2 Crop Species. Macmillan Publisher, New York, NY. Ensign, R. Dickinson, Agronomic associated D., D. 0. Eversión, K. K. and R. L. Woollen. 1989. and botanical components with seed productivity of PAGE 5 Kentucky bluegrass. Crop Sci. 29'82-86. Table 3. Core collection. Cluster number nt PI no. Murphy, J. A. 1990. Seed standards for sod certification. Rutgers Cooperative Ext. Bull. FS738. Robocker,W. C , and C. L. Canode. 1977. Control of witchgrass in fields of seedling Kentucky bluegrass. Agron. J. 69:455457. Romesburg, H. C. 1984. Cluster analysis for researchers. Lifetime Learning Publications, Belmont, CA. Table 1. Cultivar checks. Subgroup A; Subgroup B; Subgroup C; Subgroup D; Subgroup E; Subgroup F. BVMG types Midwest types Compact types Bellevue types Mid-Atlantic types Julia types Very aggressive types Other or Cela types 'Midnight', 'Nublue' 'Banff', 'Dawn' 'Monopoly', 'Plush' 'Julia', 'Ikone' 'Mystic', 'Washington' 'Coventry', 'Eclipse','Bartitia' 'Baron', 'Victa' 'Kenblue', 'Park' 1 13 2 22 3 12 4 18 5 15 6 7 7 13 8 13 9 13 10 13 11 6 12 14 1 13 14 13 15 11 16 6 9 17 18 17 19 11 20 5 21 6 22 7 tn = number in cluster. 206725 237282 349223 372738 380992 371769 372741 371775 368233 349225 349160 574523 440601 539057 229721 368241 204491 505898 303053 286381 371771 349178 Origin Turkey Denmark Alaska Alaska Iran Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Maryland USSR USSR Iran Alaska Turkey USSR Sweden Netherlands Alaska Alaska Table 2. Agronomic paramaters evaluated. Std. Parameter Dev. Mean Range CV Emergence (d) 19 14.5 2.72 10-20 Texture (1-9) 5.7 0.93 16 2-9 Genetic color (1 -9) 2-9 5.7 1.03 18 Uniformity (1-9) 5.8 1.83 32 1-9 Leaf habit (1-9) 1.28 5.0 26 2-8 Dwarf character (1 -9) 4.0 2.02 1-9 51 Biomass (1-9) 5.3 1.38 26 1-9 Mean canopy height (cm) 5.32 16.9 31 3-36 Turf potential (1 -9) 5.4 1.04 19 3-8 Spring greenup (1 -9) 1.36 24 2-9 5.6 44 MS MA phytotoxicity(0-3) 1.4 0.62 0-3 Powdery mildew (0-3) 0.9 0.99 110 0-3 115-145 Heading date (Julian date) 123.1 8.40 7 50% anthesis (Julian date) 148.3 7.34 5 135-176 Harvest date (Julian date) 6.42 4 171-222 181.2 26-112 Height at harvest (cm) 79.2 17.17 22 1.6-191 Adjusted seed yield (g m- 1) 34.27 60 56.7 * Qualitative traits rated by scale; 9=finest texture, best color, most uniform, upright leaf growth, most dwarf, most biomass, best turf potential, best spring greenup. MSMA and powdery mildew rated by scale; 0=no phytotoxicity, no infection, 3=severe burn, severe infection. tStd. Dev. = standard deviation. ttCV = coefficient of variation. illiMAiM PAGE 6 PROFESSIONALISM, WHOSE TURF? Norman Goetze, Emeritus Crop Scientist and Extension Agricultural Program Leader, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon Being a professional is a very personal obligation to one's chosen field of endeavor. The professional recognizes the obligation of his particular assignment, the opportunity for his own selfimprovement, and how he can best share his strengths with others to contribute to the success of the group. Every position in society has both responsibilities and opportunities. Successful career development is first Table 4. Cluster data. Cluster number Cluster means Seed potentials yield Cultivar 4.9 4.8 5.0 4.8 4.9 5.6 5.1 5.7 26.6 36.5 19.5 56.0 51.6 62.4 51.4 49.0 Banff, Plush 1 2 3 4 5 ó 7 8 Turf nt (gm-1) 13 22 12 18 15 7 13 13 9 10 11 12 13 13 6 14 6.3 5.8 6.0 6.1 17.5 35.6 30.7 25.7 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 1 13 11 6 9 17 11 5 3.7 5.4 5.3 5.7 4.8 5.5 5.1 5.5 5.4 46.8 99.8 109.9 145.7 86.2 74.3 68.7 75.2 82.6 22 7 5.9 tn = number in cluster. t »Turf potential rated 1-9; 9=best. 88.8 (1-9) 6 dependent upon one's ability to honestly assess his individual goals and to realize which strengths and contributions will be most helpful in reaching those goals. Making short term decisions primarily upon early opportunities frequently leads to blind alleys. If you don't know where you are going, every road you take will get you there. Most professionals change positions several times during their careers. However, career changes are less frequent. Choices of career result from early exposures, family association, and hero imaging. Outstanding teachers, clergy, and society leaders also have significant effects upon early career choices. Park, Eclipse Mystic, Coventry, Bartitia Dawn, Nublue Midnight, Ikone, Julia Kenblue Washington Monopoly, Victa, Baron Within a given career, most professionals enter at the lower position levels. Their rate of advancement is dependent upon magnitude of successful performance in each successive professional step. Lateral promotions rarely occur until the middle management layers. Even there lateral transfers are looked upon with suspicion by those immediately below. A most serious problem with advancing within a narrow position career path is that little latitude is normally present to allow for major career changes. Secondly, most everyone eventually reaches a maximum proficiency level. A promotion beyond that level would benefit neither the profession nor the over-promoted professional. It is often difficult for many professionals to realize and admit that they are performing at their optimum level and that further advancement would be detrimental to both the career and the profession. Most professional workers are honestly attempting to perform well in PAGE 7 their positions. Or conversely, few are deliberately avoiding efforts to reach maximum output levels. Why then is there so much job dissatisfaction and strife among and between professional workers in America? I will offer several major causes and suggest some possible methods of self improvement for professionals. A major cause of professional inefficiency is the professional's lack of knowledge of his own career wishes and of his strengths and weaknesses. He has not honestly done a good job of selfappraisal or has not listened well to constructive appraisal by his peers or superiors. He doesn't know or doesn't want to admit where he stands in relation to normal performance expectations. The obvious solution lies in seeking honest peer and supervisory evaluation and weighing often conflicting evaluations honestly by himself in relation to his own career goals. A major problem of communication arises when several different agencies or disciplines are working collaboratively on the same problem or within the same career goals. Professionals who don't communicate their goals and their intended outputs for the mutual benefit of the society or community goal are quickly misunderstood and lose interest in the project. This disinterest is followed by mistrust and ultimately by lack of involvement. The resulting lower performance then lowers the efficiency of the group and seriously impairs the noncommunicating professional's future growth. The solution is a deliberate cooperative mode of communication by all. This should most frequently be in a non-authoritative attitude. Jurisdictional disputes among employees or agencies who should be cooperating often leads to serious loss of professionalism and impair the strength of cooperative programs. Even though agencies may agree to cooperate, lack of professional cooperation by just one member of a group can lead to turf battles which PAGE 8 are very disruptive of cooperative programs. These problems are not easily alleviated by a simple single solution. First each agency must want to cooperate in the solution of a particular problem and must want to contribute significantly thereto. This willingness must be accompanied by administrative leadership which will contribute to the motivation of each member of the group to this goal. An internal reward mechanism for constructive support to the program can eliminate many serious problems but to be effective must be accompanied by strict periodic administrative evaluation. Many professional turf battles arise because the combatants have the mistaken idea that they are superior or at least equal to their competitors in every criterion. Yet every outsider knows that a team is made up of specialists, each of whom has superior attributes and some qualities which are below the median of the team. The most successful team is the one which can play to the advantage of its strengths and the one which can avoid putting pressures on its weaknesses. Teams of individuals and agencies by the same manner can be most effective by recognizing individual and agency strengths and playing to them. A simplistic example is two teachers of the same subject; one is a fantastic lecturer, and the other is a good motivator and counselor. The teaching team gets a lot further by having the good lecturer prepare and deliver class materials while the counselor motivates student performance in an informal manner. No professional remains static in his profession. He either continues to improve or he falls behind those who are improving. Professions are very competitive. Therefore every motivated professional must develop and execute a professional self improvement program. It can take on one or more of a variety of forms. Perhaps the single common purpose of all self improvement programs is to allow a change of pace to stimulate better self-evaluation. In-depth programs to concentrate on improving one's already excellent skills may be beneficial to a basic research scientist. Most team players, however, can best avoid future professional conflicts by improving their personal communication skills and by improving the skills required in their profession for which their current proficiency is low. They most also note their career goals and develop the skills necessary for one or two steps up the ladder. Self-improvement programs can be intensively sporadic or at a steady lower level. Most importantly they must be a part of a deliberate long term plan which is changed only as the interests of the professional change. Agencies and disciplines suggest different levels of total mid-career self-improvement levels ranging from 1 percent to 2 0 percent of total employment. Obviously, society demands that jet pilots and heart surgeons have as much professional improvement as possible. Yet other noncritical professions could receive equal use of state-of-the-art techniques by better self-improvement programs. My former agency suggested an average of 9 percent self-improvement activities, yet we had many, including a high percentage of administrators, who had much less than that. In order to have a balanced outlook on life every professional needs time for his family, friends, community, and hobbies. He must schedule time away from his profession to enjoy his family and his friends and to avoid the traumatic stresses of workaholism. We all know far too many of our peers who have permanently ruined their careers by this mistaken idea that they had to perform never-ending Herculean tasks to be successful. Correcting this problem for high achievers among the professionals is often very difficult. Encouraging these individuals to realize that every professional is replaceable and that the profession continues after each of us completes our service to it is perhaps a good start. If we could make better use of the parable of teaching more people to fish instead of SCREENING ANTAGONISTIC MICROORGANISMS FOR SUPPRESSION OF MICRODOCHIUM NIVALE AND GAEUMANNOMYCES GRAMINIS VAR. AVENAE1 providing fish for those potential fisher- Gwen K. Stahnke, Carrie Foss, and Lenora Jones men to eat in one day, better professional accomplishments would result. 1 Presented at the 49th Northwest Seven years after formal retirement, I now am actively involved in voluntary leadership in commercial agricultural commodity development programs at state, national, and international levels. The principles of professional development are equally relevant now as they were in early or mid-career. Thirty-six years after completing my formal professional training I most highly respect those Purdue University faculty and turf professionals who were "complete" professionals. Though I was a somewhat reluctant student, they finally convinced me to develop career goals, to have a continuously positive attitude, to openly communicate, to cooperate with others, to play to my strengths, and to continue to improve my professional competence. I wish to repay this lifelong debt of gratitude by helping others in their professions and by recognizing that I should have a good time with my family and friends. (Which I am doing!). Turfgrass Conference, at Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Washington, October 10-12, 1995. 2 Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Diagnostic Plant Pathologist, and Research Technician, respectively, Washington State University, Puyallup, Washington would suppress turf provide an environmentally acceptable alternative to repeated fungicide applications. Microbial suppression of plant pathogens has been extensively documented in the literature (Sutton and Peng; Weller, et al.; Nelson). During the first phase of the biocontrol project, a literature search was conducted and researchers working with suppressive organisms were consulted nationwide, including Dr, Eric Nelson (Cornell University), Dr. We obtained information indicating that greenhouse testing would provide more reliable results than laboratory screening. Based on that information, it was determined that the focus of the study would be screening Professional three Turf Center, Inc. suppression of take-all and 11576 S.W. Pacific Hwy. • Tigard, Oregon 97223 (503) 245-2140 • Fax (503)245-2635 Outside Portland (800) 894-SEED G o l f • C o u r s e • L a n d s c a p e • athletic Fields Full line of lawn seed varieties, blends & mixtures Native • Pasture • Reclaimation • Eroision • Wildflower Mixes • Fertilizers • Mulches • Chemicals • Tools >9 SEED''RESEARCH OP OfffCOfl OlSTMUTOff organisms in the greenhouse on turfgrass for Fusarium patch diseases. Isolates of M nivale and G. graminis var, avenae were cultured from golf course and home lawn samples. Organisms suppressive to take-all of wheat, G. graminis var. tritici, were obtained from Dr. David Weller at DISEASE; INTRODUCTION diseases David Weller (USDA-Pullman), and Dr. Distrubutors FUSARIUM PATCH Microdochium nivale Utilizing naturally occurring microorganisms to Fred McElroy (Eden Bioscience). (Oct) Eden Bioscience, under the direction of Dr. Fred McElroy, has cooperated on this project by providing protocols, culturing microorganisms, and treating seed with the antagonistic microorganisms for a preliminary experiment. Fusarium patch is a foliar turfgrass disease caused by the fungus Microdochium nivale. This disease can damage most grass species, The disease is observed as circular patches which may first appear water-soaked and later may change color from orange-brown to dark brown and finally gray. Fusarium patch is active during cool, wet weather. Succulent grass produced by high nitrogen fertility is more susceptible. Fungicide applications, in addition to cultural strategies, are used to manage Fusarium patch disease in high quality turfgrass. Fusarium patch disease problems can be reduced by providing balanced fertilization, avoiding overfertil- ization, and not applying urea as a sole nitrogen source. However, fungicides may be applied repeatedly to manage this disease. Fungicides for management of recommended Fusarium patch include several highly or moderately atrisk fungicides. Repeated use of these fungicides may result in strains of M . nivale resistant (Chastagner and to the Vassey). fungicide Bacterial antagonists identified as suppressive to Fusarium patch disease could provide an alternative to fungicide applications. USDA-Pullman. In addition, PAGE 9 MATERIALS AND METHODS Fusarium patch disease was diagnosed on turfgrass samples submitted to the WSU Puyallup Diagnostic Laboratory. The causal organism, M nivale, was cultured from the diseased samples. A single spore culture of each isolate was prepared and transferred to dilute PDA to induce sporulation. Two isolates were selected, 203 and 1159, and stored in cornmeal /sand medium. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT A preliminary experiment was conducted to evaluate the ability of the selected isolates to infect and to determine nitrogen sources and fertilization rates for predisposition of the ryegrass to infection. Sixteen perennial ryegrass seeds (Essence*) were planted into each 1" diameter cone-tainer tube packed with vermiculite. Plates of the two M nivale isolates were flooded with deionized/distilled water and scraped. The solution was filtered twice through 4 layers of cheesecloth and applied with a spray bottle to the ryegrass. Six tubes of each fertility level were inoculated. All plants received standard fertility of 1 / 4 lb N / 1 0 0 0 sq ft using Peter's 20-20-20 weekly. The three treatments consisted of: (1 ) standard fertility only; (2) additional fertilization with two 1 / 2 lb N / 1 0 0 0 ft one week apart; (3) additional fertilization with two 1 lb N / 1 0 0 0 ft2. The cone-tainer tubes were place in a dew chamber for 48 hours, then placed in the greenhouse. The ryegrass plants were evaluated 20 days after inoculation. FUSARIUM PATCH EXPERIMENTS Two experiments were conducted which included the bacterial antagonists. In each experiment, Essence* ryegrass was planted in 1" diameter tubes. The grass was fertilized twice with 1 lb. urea prior to inoculation in addition to standard fer- H i i M M M i M PAGE 1 0 tilization with Peter's solution. The ryegrass plants were treated bacterial antagonists (2-79, Bacillus sp., or Q65c-80) or water two weeks after planting. Colony forming units (CFUs) of antagonists and other foliar organisms were determined 24 hours after treatment. The treated plants were then inoculated with a M nivale spore or hyphal suspension, containing approximately 4 X 105 propagules per ml. Three weeks after inoculation, plants were rated for color and disease infection. Grass samples from each replication were cultured on cornmeal agar to determine recovery of M. nivale. Color was rated on a scale of 1 to 9 with 1 corresponding to brown grass and a 9 rating for dark green. Disease was rated on a scale of 0 to 5. Replications rated 0 had no diseased plants and a 5 rating corresponded to > 95% of the blades infected. RESULTS In the preliminary experiment the greatest infection was found on plants fertilized twice with 1 lb. urea N / 1 0 0 0 ft2 which was the highest rate tested. Both M nivale isolates chosen, 203 and 1159, were pathogenic to the ryegrass in the preliminary experiment. CFUs of bacterial antagonists varied between 102 and 104 per cm leaf blade in the Fusarium patch experiments. The bacterial antagonist 2-79 reduced Fusarium patch disease symptoms caused by isolate 1159 as compared to the treatment with a water application. The foliage color in treatment 2-79/1159 was significantly better than treatments Bacillus s p , / l 159 and Q65c-80/1159. There were no differences in color between the 203 isolate treatments. DISCUSSION The bacterial antagonist 2-79 reduced disease on plants inoculated with the 1159 isolate. There was no suppression of disease using 2-79 and the 203 isolate when compared with the water treatment control. This may have been observed due to variance of isolates in their pathogenicity. This may also have resulted because the inoculation of ryegrass plants with M nivale isolates 1159 and 203 was conducted in the third experiment using a hyphal suspension which increases variablity in infection. TAKE-ALL PATCH, Gaeumannomyces gramlnlsvar. avenae INTRODUCTION Take-all patch disease can cause serious damage to newly established sandbased bentgrass turf. It is caused by G. graminis var. avenae, a soil-borne microorganism which infects roots and stolons during cool, moist weather. Symptoms may change from small, light brown patches initially to larger bronze or reddish-brown rings or patches. This disease is difficult to control with fungicides. It has been observed, however, that as competing or antagonistic microbial populations buildup in the soil environment, the disease declines in severity in a manner similar to take-all of wheat (Nilsson and Smith). MATERIALS AND METHODS The purpose of this project was to test antagonistic microorganisms for suppression of take-all patch disease in a greenhouse study. The three bacteria tested in the first phase of the project were 2-79, Q65c-80, and Bacillus sp. 2-79 and Q65c-80 are strains of P. fluorescens, 279 has been extensively studied for its ability to suppress take-all of wheat (Bull, et al.; Weller and Cook). Pathogenic isolates of G. graminis var. avenae were cultured from six golf course samples of Agrosris sp. Basal stem pieces were sterilized with 1% silver nitrate, rinsed in sterile distilled water three times, dried and plated onto SMGGT3 media (Juhnke et al.) Colonies (Continued on page 11) 50tH Conference Northwest Turf grass JAssociation ytctoria, 'British CoCumhia September 30 - October 3 , 1 9 9 6 Tre-Conference Registration and University of British Columbia/NTlA Seminar * "frontiers In BnvironmentaC Turf Management" * Registration Information Roy £. Çoss Çjo Cf Tournament for Research Companion Trogram NORTHWEST TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 50TH CONFERENCE DETAILS Sunday, September 29, 1996, 9:00am to 4:30pm The University of British Columbia, in cooperation with The Northwest Turfgrass Association - Pre-Conference Seminar Frontiers in Environmental Turf Management CEU'S AVAILABLE - SEE DETAILS ON UBC PAGE Sunday, September 29, 1996, 2:00pm to 6:00pm 50th Conference Registration Desk is open in the Victoria Conference Center Plaza EVERGRO Welcome Reception - Hosted by Evergro Sales, Inc. in the outdoor courtyard adjacent to the Victoria Conference Center Plaza 5:00pm to 7:00pm Monday, September 30th, 1996 Roy L. Goss Golf Tournament - Cordova Bay Golf Club and/or Pre-Conference Turf Tour (See enclosed details) Tuesday, October 1 thru Thursday, October 3, 1996 Educational Conference (See speaker schedule) Companion Program (See article describing this program) Wednesday, October 3, 1996 7:00pm to ? Reception, Banquet and Entertainment CONFERENCE HOUSING: Primary Conference housing will be at The Empress Hotel (see enclosed registration form). Room block for our Conference will be held through August 29, 1996. Get your reservations in early!!! There are many other housing options available. For more information and for reservations, call Tourism - Victoria at 800/663-3883 for hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts. TRANSPORTATION: Transportation Information Center - 604/953-2033 FERRY SCHEDULES: SEPTEMBER 29, 1996- OCTOBER 3, 1996 VANCOUVER TO VICTORIA (TSAWWASSEN TO SWARTZ BAY) 7:00AM - 9 : 0 0 - 11:00- 12:OONOON 1 00 - 2:00 - 3:00 - 4:00 - 5:00 - 6:00 - 7:00 - 9:00PM VICTORIA TO VANCOUVER (SWARTZ BAY TO TSAWWASSEN) 7:00AM - 8:00 - 9:00 - 11:00 - 12:OONOON 1:00 - 2:00 - 3:00 - 4:00 - 5:00 - 6:00 - 7:00 - 9:00PM The Ferry schedule from Washington to Vancouver Island is available through Washington State Ferries (206/464-6400) and Black Ball Transport, Inc. (360/457-4491 or FAX 360/457-4493). Check times for your intended point of departure. THE UNIVERSITY OF B R I T I S H COLUMBIA in co-operation with The Northwest Turfgrass Association presents A special seminar for turfgrass professionals Going for Greener: Frontiers in Environmental Turf Management Sunday, September 29,1996 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Victoria Conference Centre - Victoria, British Columbia Program Moderator: Dr. Brian Holl, UBC Department of Plant Science (presentations will include time for questions and discussion) 0900 - 1 0 3 0 Geographic Information Systems: Powerful Diagnostic and Management Tools with Economic & Environmental Benefits Infra-red remote sensing; GIS, aerial mapping, global positioning systems (GPS) 1030 - 1 0 4 5 Refreshments 1045 - 1 2 0 0 Integrated Pest Management: The Latest! Design, construction and renovation for IPM, weed control, disease suppression 1200 - 1315 Lunch (included) 1315 - 1445 The Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary System: Stewardship in Action Ecological wildlife management and habitat protection 1445 - 1500 Refreshments 1500 - 1 6 3 0 Reality and Risk: Airing the Issues & Bringing the Public On-side Understanding risks, benefits and risk perception, effective public relations Hally Hofmeyr, Resource Planning, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Dr. Linda Gilkeson, Pesticide Management, B.C. Ministry of the Environment John Santacrose, Executive Director and Counsel, Audubon Society of New York Shona Kelly, UBC Health Care and Epidemiology 0.5 CEU's have been approved by the GCSAA for credit toward certification requirements only. Approved for credit by the CGSA. For more program information, call Maureen Garland at UBC (604) 822-5072 D renewal Fee $100.00 1996 ROY L. GOSS GOLF TOURNAMENT FOR RESEARCH 1996 is an exciting year for the celebration of our 50 year anniversary. The R. L. Goss Golf Tournament is one way you, as an individual, can contribute and have a great day of fun and fellowship This year, preceding the annual conference in Victoria, B C , the golf tournament will be hosted by Cordova Bay Golf Course, a beautiful course surrounding Cordova Bay on Vancouver Island. Our hosts, Jim Goddard, Head Professional and Dean Piller, Golf Course Superintendent at Cordova Bay, have made it possible to waive green fees to our association This response will allow for a sizable contribution to the Research and Scholarship effort. Here are the particulars: Date: Monday, September 30, 1996 Place: Cordova Bay Golf Course 5333 Cordova Bay Road Victoria, B. C , Canada, V8Y 2L3 Phone: 604/658-4444 Format: 4-Man Scramble Fees: $100 (U S $) for U.S. residents Carts - No Host rental = $25.00 (Canadian $) Note: Due to the beauty and terrain of the Cordova Bay Course, you will find walking easy and enjoyable. Lunch: Hosted by Toro (Western Equipment & PacWest) and will be a hamburger bar-b-que at completion of the tournament at the club facilities. Prizes: Dollar values will be adjusted to the quantity of participants. 1. Long Drive 2. Closest to Pin 3. Team Low Gross The format, again, will be four-man best ball scramble. This format allows for a fast pace of play and lots of fun for all. Prizes will be awarded to winners present and on site and must be redeemed at the Cordova Bay Pro Shop. JOIN US!!!! COMPANION PROGRAM PACKED WITH GOODIES Butterflies to pastries to chocolates will fill the Companion Program this year beginning with a pastry decorating demonstration by Daniel Vokey of Patisserie Daniel on Tuesday, October 1 at The Empress Hotel. Luncheon will follow with the "fruits" of Daniel's labor served as dessert. After lunch, at short walk from the Hotel will bring us to the Royal British Columbia Museum, a MUST stop for visitors to Victoria The Museum tracks the growth and development of British Columbia from the age of the dinosaurs to the First People to modern day. If you can tear yourself away, shopping is always wonderful and exciting in the shops of Old Town. Wednesday, October 2, after a Continental Breakfast, we will board a bus and make our way to the Roger's Chocolate Factory. Mr. Charles 'Candy" Rogers opened his first candy store in 1885. His Victoria Creams were his crowning achievement and we will get a chance to sample these and many other wonderful creations after a very interesting tour of the factory. After leaving Roger's Chocolate Factory, we will make our way to Butterfly World near Parksville. A stop there will be filled with beautiful color and exotic sights The next stop will be lunch at Butchart Gardens at the Blue Poppy Restaurant There will be plenty of time to stroll through this lovely garden and see flowering plants ranging from Ageratum to Zinnias and lots of flowers in between! ! The bus will drop us back at The Empress Hotel at approximately 4:00PM Thursday morning will be a fun get-together We will meet at 9:00AM for a Continental Breakfast and a style show presenting unisex clothing designed by a Canadian company The company is called EzzE Wear, have you heard of them yet? You will! ! PRE-CONFERENCE TURF TOUR "Commonwealth Games Legacy (2 years later)", says Kay Kinyon, Board Member in charge of the tour, "is the focus of the afternoon of September 30 in Victoria, B .C. A visit to the Juan de Fuca Parks & Recreation site of the Commonwealth Games in 1994 will give you a view of sand-based soccer fields, baseball fields, bowling greens, an "Astro-Turf' synthetic soccer field and porous paved tennis courts. Then, some liquid refreshment en route to the second stop, the University of Victoria. The group will compare another sand-based soccer field and a Velodrous synthetic-surfaced field hockey pitch that is topdressed, before returning to the Empress Hotel " THE EMPRESS HOTEL PRE-CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM PHOTOCOPY AND MAIL TO: RESERVATION DEPT THE EMPRESS HOTEL * 721 GOVERNMENT STREET B.C., CANADA V8W 1W5 m CD 33 m o C "0 O D O 33 m ço 23 s 0 o o © 33 0 3 g 0 -K o < 0 c CL c 1 C 0 Z3* 0 CO CO Q. 0 0 "S o 0 3 c c o 0 0 O" 33 c 0 11 5T © -n < CD o 0 0 CO 33 o 3 o > CO OT CO (O O > 3 S a CO 0 -o , o O- CO | â £ 0^ 0 o CO m s a -i PO œ 5' 3 . o CO ^ M 3 ^ "O H ° 0 © S $ Q X 0 0 I â a 0S 0— 0 13 5 r>> m r< ^ o m > > m m m 2 § 3 gS m H §3 H m co m m s13 2 CD m S O Z H o Z) O m m h c ^ S| I 8 e S I c U 2 . 3 E 2 ac S 'S o U E § it o 2 S ë 1 •O CJ Je —• J/J ¿s 03 E 8 Ï -t Ö I 25 u 5 I g 5j CO CJ O OD S * 1 w <5 5 ss £ 03 £ 2 ta o fa o t i U g 1 I I i S3 O « S o pò o PO E i£ O o I •ft - E I«,, fc $ ' I 81 o s •O M « g ! E S k» o o a Z ^r ^ s co g o o I o o H I Ift. 3 1/5 eo cj S Ö o; « e o V i» & S •SS ¿Sgl o ! a 2 2 A £ TD oo > ta o CJ CG £ i n g a, 2 S 2 T «I J5 CM O 1 o Ë» g g S. 5 = Q • I 2 o 2 g« c o d |P TT* i_r\ S I s i I CM O o Jj ^ e 2 O 03 & c o § Û y as 1 o °g ¿ S 2 W « -S &> E 6 0 days) or permanent practices in fine condition. Many play- basis. During the summer and autumn of such a high quality a remote site of the to develop management During the weekend of June 25-26 the ers spoke quite favorably of the indoor 1994 several companies/groups divots were once again repaired. portable turfgrass field's quality., none approached Michigan State University expressed dissatisfaction. exploring the potential for indoor turf- On Monday, the Brazilian national team Coaches, have grass for sports f i e l d s . Negotiations ¿ • O / FORA IN ^ are IN QUALITY TURF CARE USE underway with some these of compa- nies to develop indoor turfgrass CROWN III Top Dressing REBOUND Soil Amendment fields. • • • • • • • • Research Researched by Dr. John (Trey) Rogers III Minimizes plant injury Protects delicate crown tissue Easy application on all soil types Researched by Dr. Kent Kurtz Improves turf's resiliency Builds stronger and healthier root systems Improves infiltration and percolation rently curin p r o g r e s s includes evalua- Both products: improve turf's resiliency, reduce soil compaction, provide an earlier spring green-up, improve drainage, require less watering and is used on high wear areas due to heavy traffic. CROWN III and REBOUND provide a superior surface for creating a more resilient turf and achieve top-quality turf performance, superb appearance, and reduced turf-management maintenance costs. Used successfully nationwide. tion of several Kentucky blue- grass varieties, both old and new, for their performance CALL (360) 673-4874 . FAX (360) 425-6385 under shade. In a second project undertaken [Bound Systems, Inc., 1106 Mountain View Road, Kalama, WA 98625 in conjunction with a Japanese PAGE 1 7 [stadium] architectural and construction related to annual bluegrass but is a sports turf in both outdoor and indoor firm, we are evaluating the use of iron perennial species like P. supina is applications. Plots have been established and magnesium applications to improve stoloniferous, able to quickly Kentucky both indoors and outdoors. Experiments the quality and durability of Kentucky bluegrass. Unlike other - Poa species, are underway to define fertility and light bluegrass under three levels of reduced Poa supina is stoloniferous, able to requirements of the grass, its ability to quickly recolonize an area disrupted by withstand sports-type traffic, and the use traffic. In addition, the grass is purport- of PGRs and iron to improve its color. light. A third main project focuses on the use of edly shade and traffic tolerant. Our Other experiments are defining its dis- a novel turfgrass species from Germany, research objective is to determine the ease susceptibility. Poa supina. Collected in the Alps, it is suitability of the species for use as a DON BRYAN & NOSEWORTM Banquet entertainment Don Bryan's interest in Ventriloquism goes back over thirty years. At the age of twelve, he first started performing for his school. The creator of his own puppets, even then his skills were recognized with awards in talent and craft shows. Don's father was a professional theater actor in London, England, after World War II, the family immigrated to Canada in 1947 where Don grew up and eventually embarked on a career of his own, carrying on a family tradition of theater. During his teen, he met the great master himself, Edgar Bergan, who was impressed with Don's talent, not just as a ventriloquist but as a accomplished puppet carver. "Don's figures are among the finest I have ever seen," said Bergan. Don's first puppet was a pretty simple toy j H M VB l ^ i p ^ B store of Howdy Doody. After workB jB I jjj^F ^B inadequate equipBnfiUf E L ^ j ^ ^B ment, he moved on to creations of his own. ^ Over the years, Don has created and carved over forty puppets for many other amateur and professional ventriloguists. His work was in demand worldwide. However, he soon stopped playing "Chepeto," the creator and pursued performing instead. Don's passion for perfection and detail is evident in his puppet creations and performances. Don's partner, Noseworthy, came to life in 1963. The town have performed worldwide to all types of audiences, young and old, for 28 years. Other characters shore the stage with the duo, adding variety and unique appearance to the act. PAGE 18 TEE-TO-GREEN QUALITY FROM JOHN DEERE When you see the John Deere logo on golf course equipment, you know there are years of experience and hundreds of dedicated people behind each hard-working machine. You should also know there's a full line of reliable equip-ment to stand up to the challenges of your course! There are rugged utility mowers for the tough spots; lightweight fairway mowers to manicure your target areas; aerators that breath ife into your turf; and precisionengineered greens mowers to handle the most critical areas on your course. Add to these a line of utility vehicles with a host of attachments, and a field and bunker rake for the gritty spots, and you've got a line-up that's ready to handle whatever you can come up with. If you're not sure, give us a call and we'll show you! b JOHN DEERE Nothing runs like a Deere® Barnett Implement Co. PO Box 468, Snohomish, WA 98290 800-225-3174 or 206-334-4048 NORTHWEST TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION Post Office Box 2150, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Bulk Rote U.S. Postage Paid Bend, OR Permit No. 3