Turfgrass Problems – Picture Clues and Management Options

 

Designed to be a highly practical and quick-help guide, Turfgrass Problems – Picture Clues and Management Options is a handy pocket-sized reference book to help turfgrass managers, golf course superintendents and others identify turfgrass problems and implement appropriate management strategies to maintain healthy plants.

The 200-plus page guide, which contains full colour pictures throughout and is easily navigated through the use of colour-coded chapter tabs, covers problems that affect cool-season turfgrasses, including creeping bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrasses, annual bluegrasses, fine-leaf fescues, tall fescues and perennial ryegrasses.

The ‘abiotic’ (non-living) chapter includes chemical, physical and mechanical damage (such as fertiliser burn, compaction, poor drainage etc…) that can lead to turfgrass injury or death, while the ‘biotic’ portion of the guide is divided among three types of problems – diseases, insects and weeds.

The first chapter, called ‘timelines’, includes three symptom ‘timelines’ that give readers an idea of possible diseases, insects or weeds that might be active in a certain season if abiotic problems can be ruled out. The text and extensive use of colour photographs in the subsequent chapters help in making specific diagnosis.
The book also features a chapter on scouting and on-site sampling procedures, a glossary of terms which are in bold throughout the text and a ‘how to use this guide’ section to help readers get the most out of the book.

The guide, which would also prove a useful addition for agronomists, IPM specialists, extension educators, students and lawn care professionals, is co-authored by Eva Gussack and Dr Frank S. Rossi. Dr Rossi is extension turfgrass specialist and assistant professor of turfgrass management at Cornell University in the USA. Dr Rossi has over two decades of experience in the turf management industry and has worked on a range of programmes that focus on resource-efficient, sustainable turfgrass management. He has advised major industry associations, including the GCSAA and USGA, and has twice received the Certificate of Excellence from the American Society of Agronomy. Gussack is an extension associate in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell and works alongside Dr Rossi to produce the award-wining weekly Cornell newsletter ShortCUTT.

Turfgrass Problems – Picture Clues and Management Options has been produced by NRAES, the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service which is a not-for-profit programme dedicated to assisting land grant university faculty and others in increasing the public availability of research and experienced-based knowledge.