Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council – New Turfgrass Science Textbook from Penn State!

September 18, 2023 | Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council | PODCAST

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PENNSYLVANIA TURFGRASS:

The turfgrass industry is facing increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact and advance more sustainable maintenance practices that better utilize and/or optimize agronomic-related resources. Achieving Sustainable Turfgrass Management is a new turfgrass science book, edited by Dr. Mike Fidanza (Penn State – Berks Campus). This book summarizes the wealth of recent research that addresses these challenges:

• Reviews the impact of climate change on the increasing threat of biotic and abiotic stresses to the turfgrass industry, as well as the challenge of treating diseased turf in the face of fungicide resistance.
• Considers the development of alternative, more sustainable management practices that utilize and/or optimize fewer agricultural outputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and energy.
• Provides a selection of case studies that detail the establishment of good turfgrass management and maintenance in a variety of environments (golf courses, athletic fields, sports pitches, arid environments).

This textbook contains 20 chapters:

Part 1 — Physiology, breeding and cultivation

1. Advances in understanding turfgrass physiology.
2. Advances in breeding for improved cultivars of turfgrass.
3. Advances in soil management for successful establishment and maintenance of turfgrass.
4. Advances in phosphite utilization for turfgrass.
5. Advances in irrigation and water management of turfgrass.
6. Advances in maintenance practices of turfgrass.
7. Advances in turfgrass for athletic fields and sports pitches.
8. Advancements in turfgrass for ornamental lawns.

Part 2 — Biotic and abiotic stresses

9. Advances in turfgrass disease management.
10. Advances in turfgrass insect pest management.
11. Advances in turfgrass weed management.
12. Advances in plant growth regulation in turfgrass.
13. Advances in abiotic stress management in turfgrass.
14. Advances in managing organic matter in turfgrass ecosystems.
15. Advances in biostimulants in turfgrass.

Part 3 – Case Studies

16. Considerations with using unmanned aircraft systems in turfgrass.
17. Considerations with selecting turfgrass varieties and cultivars.
18. Considerations with turfgrasses and pollinators.
19. Considerations with water for turfgrass in arid environments.
20. Considerations with soil testing in turfgrass.

“The 3 E’s of Sustainability (Environment, Economics, Ethical-Social Impacts) in all their forms continue to underpin the values and goals of professional turf managers across the globe who strive to build and maintain healthy, long-term communities where parks, lawns, sports fields and golf course turfs are the dominant vegetation. As global populations grow, annual climate vagaries increase, and biotic and abiotic plant stresses become more uncertain it is now more important than ever to understand how factors like species selection, edaphic conditions and cultural management decisions influence the ecology and persistence of managed turf systems. In this comprehensive book, Dr. Mike Fidanza has compiled industry leading turf experts who provide relevant, fact-based insights across an array of key topics to help turf managers meet their modern management goals.” (Dr Cale Bigelow, Professor of Turf Science and Ecology, Purdue University, USA).