By Peter Blais
In addition to numerous green policies that have been implemented at the Montgomery County (Maryland) Revenue Authority’s nine facilities, Jon Lobenstine has experimented with the use of biofungicides to help reduce chemical inputs on the courses. The products, which utilize microorganisms derived from plants, bacteria or certain minerals, represent what the director of agronomy dubs a “major agronomic shift” in the protection of turf from various diseases.
“Biofungicides are showing a lot of promise, especially in geographic areas where it’s difficult to grow certain types of grasses,” Lobenstine notes. “As more and more courses use products like this to improve a plant’s defense system, it becomes more enticing to golf course operators.”
Last summer, Lobenstine used three test plots on a practice green to research the use of an isoparaffin-based biostimulant that works to prime the turf’s genes, enhance its natural defenses and kill or inhibit fungal growth. He applied the product to one plot and saw no disease until late June (2009); however, as the season progressed, the area treated only with biostimulants showed considerable signs of disease. This season, he supplemented the biostimulant regimen with a 50 percent rate of traditional fungicides, and initial results have been promising.
“It looks like we could decrease our pesticide use by 50 percent,” says Lobenstine, adding that treatments cost approximately $125 per acre.
Although he admits it will “take some time” for most operators to fully embrace bio-based alternatives, Lobenstine envisions a day when their use will be widespread. Even then, however, he encourages owners to test the products at their facility to gauge how they interact with the soil conditions of their particular site.
“The universities do a good job with research and testing, but each course has its own microclimate, and the effectiveness of different inputs will vary,” Lobenstine says. “It’s a simple matter to devote a rear corner of a practice green to research.”