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The Future of Turfgrass Weed Science  

 

Mobile Weed Manual is Here!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Mobile Weed ManualThe University of Tennessee Turf & Ornamental Weed Science Team has put together a new website and free mobile app called "Mobile Weed Manual," located at www.mobileweedmanual.com. It is a breakthrough resource for golf course superintendents, athletic field managers, lawn care professionals and even homeowners to assist green industry enthusiasts in selecting herbicides for use in not only warm- and cool-season turfgrass, but an array of ornamentals as well.

 

End users can search for a weed they want to control and the app gives advice on which herbicides are most effective. "The Mobile Weed Manual contains not only weed control efficacy ratings for problematic weeds of turf and ornamentals, but tolerance information for over 2300 different species, and labels for nearly 100 different herbicides," said Dr. Jim Brosnan, UT Assistant Professor, Turf & Ornamental Weed Science.  "This powerful resource places all of this research based information in the palm of your hand."

 

The site was designed to replace hard copy Extension manuals with a dynamic web interface optimized for use on any mobile device (i.e., smart phones, tablets, etc.). "It is our sincere hope that this becomes a valuable tool for all green industry professionals managing weeds," Brosnan said.

 

www.mobileweedmanual.com

The web page also has a direct link for Apple and Android users to download the application to their phone or other mobile device.

 

Please feel free to contact the University of Tennessee Turf & Ornamental Weed Science Team (info@mobileweedmanual.com) with any questions.

MSMA Use to Continue Beyond 2013

Thursday, October 04, 2012

The Organic Arsenical Products Task Force (OAPTF) recently announced that use of MSMA for weed management on golf courses, sod farms, and highway rights-of-way will continue beyond the original phase-out date of June 31, 2013.

   

The OAPTF explains in a memorandum to turf managers that a review is being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences regarding the risk of inorganic arsenic. This review is expected to take up to 41 months and until it is complete, use of MSMA on golf courses, sod farms, and highway rights-of-way will continue. A letter from the EPA Pesticide Reevaluation Division to the OAPTF supports this memorandum.

 
 
Moving forward
 

Managers of turf on golf courses, sod farms, and highway rights-of-way using MSMA for weed management must be sure to follow modified use restrictions announced by the EPA in 2009. These include applying the herbicide only on a spot (i.e., less than 100 square feet) treatment basis and limiting applications to less than 25% of a golf course in a given year. Sod farms can only make two broadcast applications per crop and must maintain buffer strips near permanent water bodies. More information on these restrictions can be found in our UT Extension publication, W243.

 
 
Does this affect lawn care or sports turf?
 

This change of events does not affect individuals managing residential and commercial lawns or athletic fields. Sales of MSMA for use on these turf areas ended on December 31, 2010. Managers can currently use existing stocks until they are depleted as long as the product they are applying has turf labeling.

 

The University of Tennessee Turf Weed Science Team will keep stakeholders informed on MSMA restrictions as new information becomes available.

Winter Annual Weeds Are On The Way

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Temperatures have begun to cool across much of Tennessee over the past few weeks with overnight lows falling below 60 degrees in certain locations. This cooler weather, combined with the elevated levels of soil moisture experienced across the eastern region of the state, will create a hospitable environment for the germination of winter annual weeds such as annual bluegrass and henbit . Turf managers interested in controlling these weeds with preemergence herbicides should be scheduling applications for the very near future. The onset of cooler weather is also an ideal time to apply postemergence herbicides for control of perennial weeds such as bermudagrass and dallisgrass.

     

The UT Turfgrass Weeds Team recently presented a webinar for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) titled, "Strategies and Planning For Fall Weed Control," that provides information on not only new herbicides for fall weed control but weed control programs as well. A library of information on fall weed control is also available on our publications page.

Weed in Focus

Annual Bluegrass
 Poa annua

 



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