Pennsylvania Turfgrass - Summer 2019

Summer 2019 • Vol. 8/No. 3

Improving High School Sports Fields New Insights to the Population Biology of the Dollar Spot Pathogen: Implications of Host Adaptation

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Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 99 Boalsburg, PA 16827-0550 Phone: (814) 237-0767 Fax: (814) 414-3303 info@paturf.org www.paturf.org

Vol. 8 / No. 3 • Summer 2019

Publisher: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge St. • Franklin, TN 37064 Phone: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 info@leadingedge communications.com Pennsylvania Turfgrass Editor John Kaminski, Ph.D. Penn State • jek156@psu.edu

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Pennsylvania Turfgrass Associate Editors Maria Landschoot maria.landschoot3@gmail.com Heather Welch Penn State • hgw1@psu.edu President Chase Rogan GCSAA Field Staff • Mid-Atlantic Region Allison Park, PA (614) 241-3037 Vice President Tom Fisher Wildwood Golf Club • Allison Park, PA (412) 518-8384

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Secretary-Treasurer Rick Catalogna Walker Supply, Inc. (412) 897-0480

Features

Departments

Past President Pete Ramsey Messiah College • Mechanicsburg, PA (717) 577-5401

8 Cover Story

6 President’s Update

Directors

7 Advertiser Index

Tom Bettle Penn State University

18 Penn State News

Tanner Delvalle Penn State University

19 Penn State Turf Team

Dan Douglas Reading Fightin Phils

14 Improving High School Sports Fields

14 Feature Story

New Insights to the Population Biology of the Dollar Spot Pathogen: Implications of Host Adaptation

16 Between the Lines

Meet Gene Long, the Man Behind the Coleman Park Baseball Fields

4 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

Elliott Dowling USGA Agronomist, Northeast Region Nick Huttie Muhlenberg College Shawn Kister Longwood Gardens Tim Wilk Scotch Valley Country Club Matt Wolf Penn State University

Lancaster Country Club • Lancaster, PA • Hole #3

Golf Course Desi G ners Office – (724) 438-1727 • Ron Forse – (412) 855-8130 • Jim Nagle – (717) 575-0598 1224 National Pike – Suite A • P.O. Box 154 • Hopwood, PA 15445 1900 Saxon Drive • New Smryna Beach, FL 32169

Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass

5

President’s Update

Growing Interest T

his spring has been mild compared to our start in 2018. In breezing through photos of last year, my lawn was still dormant-brown and looking quite pathetic. Fast forward a year and I’m just about ready to lay down my first cut of the season as ground temperatures continue to rise and plants are glowing green. Rain across Pennsylvania has been sporadic, and some are still dealing with wet conditions that have persisted going back more than a year. I hope 2019 brings a more pleasant pattern of weather for all our members in golf, landscaping, lawn care, and sports turf management.

Labor has been an ongoing issue in the golf industry, and I believe these challenges have translated into other green industry sectors as well. Even with

rising wages, it has been difficult for superintendents to get applications for these jobs, let alone find qualified or willing candidates to fill these positions.

This worker shortage has forced superintendents to be more creative with their hiring, including heavier recruitment with high school students.

In fact, I recently attended a career fair in Frederick, MD with the MidAtlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents. We set up a table display with different turfgrass samples, a moisture meter, a video about working on a golf course, and other items, trying to spark students’ interest in finding a summer job on a golf course. We had many meaningful interactions with students ranging from freshmen to seniors, but rarely did any of them consider a

career within the turfgrass industry. As a whole, we need to try to attend events like this when we can and get involved in creating interest in turfgrass. These students can help fill summer positions and some may be a future key employee for whichever sector of the turfgrass industry in which you work.

Another initiative working to grow interest in the turfgrass industry is The First Green, a GCSAA program. This program aims to bring 5th graders out to the golf course and teach them about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education through the lens of golf course management. These field trips often include “labs” covering topics such as soil science, water conservation and related technology, and reviews of insects and wildlife found on golf courses. If you have a chance to participate in a field trip, it is a great opportunity to work with kids and make a difference. The students who attend these events are truly engaged and excited to participate.

On April 30 and May 1 we observed National Golf Day in Washington D.C. On April 30 we completed a community service project on the National Mall, in which we helped enhance one of our nation’s most visible areas for tourists and the like. On May 1, we visited lawmakers on Capitol Hill to talk about the benefits of turfgrass and the golf industry and hope to gain credibility for our stewardship of the land, environment, and wildlife. Again, this was a great opportunity to “tell our story,” and this initiative proves beneficial for all sectors of the turfgrass industry.

Best of luck heading in to summer, and I hope to see you around!

Yours truly,

Chase Rogan, PTC President 6 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

Advertiser Index

Aer-Core, Inc.............................................. 5 www.aer-core.com

Beam Clay............................................... 19 www.BEAMCLAY.com • www.PARTAC.com

Coombs Sod Farms.................................. 6 www.coombsfarms.com

Covermaster, Inc..................................... 17 www.covermaster.com

CoverSports USA.................................... 12 www.coversports.com

East Coast Sod & Seed.......................... 19 www.eastcoastsod.com

Fisher & Son Company, Inc...................... 3 www.fisherandson.com

FM Brown’s & Sons................................... 6 www.fmbrown.com

Forse Design Incorporated....................... 5 George E. Ley Co.................................... 19 www.gelcogolf.com

Leading Edge Communications............. 11 www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com

Progressive Turf Equipment Inc............. 13 www.progressiveturfequip.com

Quest Products Corp....Inside Front Cover www.questproducts.us

Seedway.................................................... 7 www.seedway.com

Shreiner Tree Care..................................... 7 www.shreinertreecare.com

Smith Seed Services................................. 7 www.smithseed.com

Tomlinson Bomberger............................. 19 www.mytombom.com

Trimax Mowing Systems.......... Back Cover www.trimaxmowers.com

Walker Supply, Inc................................... 11 www.walkersupplyinc.com

The Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council (PTC) serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Pennsylvania Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or PTC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this publication. Copyright © 2019 by the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. Pennsylvania Turfgrass, is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to PTC members. Presorted standard postage is paid at Jefferson City, MO. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Pennsylvania Turfgrass, allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to the PTC. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge St., Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.

Steve Shreiner Certified Arborist #0090

334 South Henderson Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 610·527·3637 610·265·6004 steve@shreinertreecare.com www.shreinertreecare.com

Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass

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Cover Story

Improving

High School Sports Fields

By Andrew S. McNitt, Ph.D.

L

ooking to upgrade or rehab your natural turfgrass fields this growing season? While every situation is different and I can’t cover all contingencies, I’m going to share my general experience in working with high schools in Pennsylvania.

The most important thing to start with is an assessment of drainage, especially considering the precipitation we had in most parts of the state during 2018. If the crown of the field is worn out and you are playing in a soup bowl (Figure 1), there is no sense throwing any additional resources at this field until the crown is reestablished.

I’m not naïve. I understand that asking for the addition of good quality compost, a regrade, and sod is a big ask and difficult to get approved. The point is that you must keep asking because that is the factor limiting the quality of the field. I advise against trying to create band-aid solutions.

Money will be wasted and the opportunity to get the larger project approved may be compromised. At least ask to get some bids on the larger resod project.

I understand a little about the bidding process inside a school district and the complaints that are lodged if a bid goes to a contractor outside the district. My advice is to divide the project into pieces, maybe for both the construction and the design. An architect or project manager is not always needed on a job of this size but sometimes it’s money well spent. Allow your local architect to do any permitting required, etc. and ask if the architect would then accept a sub who specializes in the finish specifications for athletic fields.

Similarly, ask that the trucking for the compost and maybe application tilling and rough grading be bid to local contractors but bid the finish work to a sport construction specialist.

Keep asking/explaining in a respectful manner. I often tell my students: “it’s not necessarily the best grass growers who rise to the top of this industry, it’s usually the best communicators, because they can effectively communicate the issues to the administrators who control the purse strings and are able to garner the resources needed to create a quality turfgrass surface.”

Last season the ground stayed wet regardless of a crown.

Creating a nearly all-weather playing surface using sand is

8 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

beyond the scope of this article but you can get some great information by googling ‘Michigan State Sand Cap System’ or by using this link: https://bit.ly/2X4l4Z1.

Let’s say you have a crown and the field drains adequately during ‘normal precip years.’ Now what is the most important item you can spend your money on?

The answer: PEOPLE. Again, a tough sell, but that is the correct answer. There is no magic potion you can spray on the field to suddenly make it hold up to wear better. It’s really just doing the basics really well like in the Karate Kid. It’s wax on, wax off. If you do basic maintenance really well, you’re 85% of the way there. So again, you have to communicate the need. Numbers help. How long does it take to trailer the mowers to a grade school campus, mow, trim, clean up and return? Show the administrators, on paper, where all the man-hours are going. If adequate drainage is in place, you will need additional labor to improve the quality of the fields, pure and simple.

It would be a great help if in the summer you could hire a few retired folks to do some mowing in the common areas, but often the labor structure in school districts won’t allow that. You need butts on mower seats because almost everything I talk about from here on requires you to make the grass grow faster and if the grass is growing faster, you will have to mow more often. Golf course fairways are mowed pretty much every other day. Penn State’s Beaver Stadium is mowed about 3 times per week during much of the year.

Figure 2 shows two plots with exactly the same care. Simulated soccer-type wear was applied evenly to both. The one on the left was mowed once per week while the one on the right was mowed 3 times per week. Nothing else differed. Mow often with a high-quality mower. It can be a rotary, but it should be adjusted with a sharp blade to aid in turf health.

A trick I learned from Dr. Dave Minner at Iowa State: Don’t spread your resources out evenly among all your fields. Create a showcase field and give it the resources it needs perhaps at the expense of some other fields. Why? Because if you spread out meager resources equally, the fields will all be average and maybe the administrator’s view of your sports field management abilities will also be average. When you ask for more

resources to improve fields, the administrator imagines the result and figures the fields will just be a little more average.

But if you have one field where you demonstrate your abilities, several things happen. One, everyone sees, first hand, what you can create. Next, you will begin to get lobbying allies.

Coaches who don’t use that field will ask: “Hey, why doesn’t my field look like that?” Answer: “We need more people.”

Soon they are lobbying for you to get additional labor.

A couple other points on mowing. On multi-use fields, mow as high as you can, within reason. Obviously, you may need to keep the soccer field a bit lower than the football field, and perhaps the field hockey field a bit lower. The turf can better withstand the abrasion and grinding of many feet if the height is higher. I don’t see much reason to have your effective height much higher than 3 inches. Remember, this isn’t the bench setting measured in the shop but the effective height of the grass after mowing (Figure 3).

Let’s address another mowing issue that needs to be corrected in many cases. Quit raising and lowering the height of cut during summer, especially for fields that will receive fall use. This is not helpful and likely weakens the turfgrass.

For instance, we’ve all heard that in the summer, it is less stress for the grass if it is mowed higher. The roots are deeper and the plant can withstand drought to a greater degree, etc.

That’s all true, but here’s the issue. When will you be bringing the height of cut back down to playing height? Preseason football begins early to mid-August. Will you be lowering the height of cut then? August is typically among the most stressful months for our cool-season turfgrasses. So, the grass is stressed by weather and you are going to put a second stress on it by lowering the height of cut at this time? And shortly after that second stress, you are going to let 80 athletes begin running around on the grass with cleats. It’s the triple whammy! The turfgrass will suffer.

Pick an appropriate height of cut and stick with it. Just mow more often.

Next is fertilizer, especially nitrogen. For very high-traffic multi-use fields, you need nitrogen so that the grass is growing quickly and can recover from the wear. If I’m invited to a school by an administrator and I don’t know the sports turf manager, when I ask how much nitrogen is being applied to a field I typically get: “3-4 lbs. of actual nitrogen per 100 square feet per year, sir.” See, you know the amount that should be applied. Later, in the bar, after I’ve gained your confidence, you explain: “Andy, we can’t apply any more than 2 lbs. per year because we can’t keep up with the mowing. Currently, if it rains for 2 days, we are on a 10-day rotation at best.” See, it’s butts in seats. You’ve got to have the mowing in place before you can apply the appropriate nitrogen. Go to the upper end of the recommended scale on these high use fields. If you are confident in your calibration and application techniques, a fast release nitrogen source like urea is the best bang for the buck! But you must be calibrated or you’ll burn the grass.

Next, spend money on good quality seed. Stop buying overseed mixes with small amounts of Kentucky bluegrass

Figure 1: Field with no crown. This field is leaned from one side to the other.

Figure 2: Both areas received the same maintenance and the same traffic. The plot on the left was mowed once per week. The plot on right was mowed 3 times per week.

Figure 3: The effect of mowing height on wear resistance. The plot on the left was mowed at 1.25 inches. The plot on the right was mowed at 3 in.

Cover Story • continued

in them. The blue is expensive and doesn’t come up unless the field is rested for a season (Figure 4). Perennial ryegrass is the only cool season grass that has a chance to establish on high-use fields during play.

Next, seed a lot. Typical p. rye overseeding rates are maybe around 8 lbs. per 1000 square feet on the high end. Those

rates were created for establishing turfgrass when no wear was applied. If you are seeding and playing on the surface simultaneously, you’ll need more. Lots more.

The series of photos shown in Figures 5 and 6 demonstrate that with nothing else altered, the application of more seed to fields being trafficked, resulted in greater turf cover.

Figure 4: Results of overseeding with equal weight of seed while surface is exposed to traffic.

Ryegrass

Tall Fescue

Kentucky Bluegrass

Figure 5: Turf cover resulting from varying rates of perennial ryegrass overseeding during simulated wear.

5lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

15lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

25lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

35lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

Figure 6: Turf cover resulting from varying rates of perennial ryegrass overseeding during simulated wear.

Economic Threshold !!!

50lbs Seed per 1000 ft2 10 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

90lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

35lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

90lbs Seed per 1000 ft2

Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass 11

Cover Story • continued

Figure 7: Eighty percent of a football game is played on the area from just outside the numbers and between the 20-yard lines.

12 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

Data collected by Dr. Minner indicated that percent turf cover continued to increase up to 200 lbs. per 1000 feet squared. It may continue to increase at rates above 200 lbs. but Dr. Minner stopped at 200. From both Dr. Minner’s data and data collected at Penn State, it appears that the law of diminishing return kicks in right around 30 or 35 lbs. per 1000 square feet as indicated in Figure 6.

Thirty pounds per 1000 seems like a lot of seed because it is. Remember though, you may not need to apply that much to the entire field. Maybe just apply 35 lbs. per 1000 to the field within the field (Figure 7).

On 15,800 square feet, 30 lbs. of good quality perennial ryegrass seed per thousand should cost around $1000. I know you want to purchase through your local Agway or other local seed dealer. That’s fine, but ask them to special order some decent quality seed. Use ntep.org. Don’t go crazy though and require what is listed at the top of the NTEP listing. Pretty much the top 50% are about equal. That’s a stretch, but I suggest selecting the cheapest cultivar you can get from the top 30–50% of those listed in NTEP. As long as you stay away from the poor cultivars, the quantity in this case is more

continued • Cover Story

important than the difference in quality among the cultivars in the top 30%. Remember, you are almost growing this grass as an annual, constantly reseeding.

Dr. Minner and I went back and forth on a seeding schedule. We both agree that if you can afford it, seed all the time.

Early, mid, and late spring, all fall, late fall, etc. However, considering a limited budget on a stadium field with fall use, we suggest the following. Dr. Minner emphasized that applying the seed early was more advantageous than waiting. He suggested starting to seed in the late summer/early fall even before wear was evident. He reasoned, what good is it to hold back some seed until mid-October? It’s not doing you much good when it’s still in the bag on a shelf. I agreed with this philosophy except that I thought if you applied all the seed early, some of the seed would be displaced by divots and those areas would not have as much chance to recover. So, after some discussion we compromised. Apply 20–25 lbs. at the beginning of the season and apply 2 lbs. per 1000 square feet to high wear areas after the each of the first five home varsity football games. The JV team will cleat-in the seed on Monday.

I’m out of space for this issue. Again, every situation is unique, but I would follow the need for seed with good quality aerification then topdressing. I’ve written about topdressing of sports fields in a previous issue. See the Summer 2013 issue: http://www.thepaginator.com/preview.php?ID=1106 Of course, irrigation is very important during some nonflood years. I look at irrigation like I look at recrowning. It’s a capital expense and falls under a different budget. If you are asking for an irrigation system, break it into parts. Perhaps in year one you just have the main water line extended. Year two you put in the system and use manual valves. Year three you install the controller. Biting off three small chunks may be more palatable to the administrators.

Lots more detail is required to custom fit a program to your particular needs, but I hope this begins to set a blueprint for improvement. Remember, the answer is always no if you don’t ask. Be smart, be respectful, do your homework, document it, and tactfully keep reminding everyone what is needed for field improvement and safety. It has been said that after the façade of the school building, the stadium sports field is the most viewed item in the school district. 7

Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass 13

Feature Story

Figure 1: Coalescing of necrotic spot causing larger dead areas on bentgrass fairway (on left side).

New Insights to the Population Biology of the

Dollar Spot Pathogen: Implications of Host Adaptation

By Wakar Uddin, Ph.D. and Brian Aynardi, Ph.D.

S

ymptoms of dollar spot are readily recognizable on low-cut turf, such as golf course tees, fairways, and putting greens, producing cream-colored necrotic lesions which result in necrotic spots of 2–5cm (approx. 0.5 –2 inches) in diameter. The spots reduce turf quality in both aesthetic value and playability. As the disease progresses the individual necrotic spots coalesce to cause large areas of high amenity turf to become blighted and form depressed or sunken areas that affect ball roll and green speeds. In higher cut turf such as in residential lawns and sports fields, the necrotic areas are typically much larger, extending to several inches in diameter.

Nearly all turfgrass species used in golf courses, athletic fields, residential lawns, business parks, and sod-production areas are susceptible to dollar spot disease. The identity of the pathogen that causes dollar spot across the United States has been debated for decades, essentially since the disease was first described. Advancements in fungal genetics in the 1990s and early 2000s used molecular methods to determine that the pathogen causing dollar spot, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, was not a member of the Sclerotiniaceae family, but rather the

14 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

Rutstroemiaceae family. In 2018, published research using isolates collected from around the world studied various molecular markers to split what was once thought to be a single species into four species under a new genus, Clarireedia. Only two of the four species are predominately found in the United States, but also have global distribution; Clarireedia jacksonii occurring on cool season (C3) grasses and Clarireedia monteithiana occurring on warm season (C4) grasses.

While looking at the taxonomic issues facing S. homoeocarpa, we also concurrently focused on the genetic diversity among isolates infecting cool and warm-season turfgrass species. Previously, research studies have shown that there is little genetic diversity in the pathogen population except for those infecting warm season grass hosts in Florida and the southern United States. After collecting isolates throughout the transition zone of the United States from 2011–2016, and also examining isolates from our pools of collections dating back to the 1970s, our research was able to clearly demonstrate that there are two genetically distinct types of the pathogen isolates causing dollar spot in North America: Type I, consisting primarily of isolates collected

from cool-season turfgrass species, and Type II, a distinct subgroup of isolates solely from warm-season turfgrass species.

While this finding is consistent with recent literature, we have documented the coexistence of these two isolate types throughout the transition zone of the United States, extending as far north as Virginia, with both isolate types present among adjacent stands of cool and warm-season turfgrass species in the same locale. There have been no reports on the variability in growth of the isolate types over a range of temperatures, nor have the isolate types been previously evaluated for their ability to infect both cool and warm-season turfgrass species.

This work addressed important questions concerning the growth of Type I and Type II isolates of Clarireedia spp. over a range of temperatures consistent with field conditions in various geographic regions. Results from the in vitro growth studies showed minimal growth at 10°C (50°F), significant growth from 20–30°C (68–86°F), and a near complete lack of growth at 35°C (95°F) (Figure 2). Further, our study evaluated the ability of both isolate types to incite disease on both cool and warm-season turfgrass species, which is an important insight into the biology of the pathogen and may have deep implications in disease management. Results from the crossinoculation experiments indicate that both isolate types are capable of inciting disease on both cool and warm-season turfgrass species. Our results suggest that Type I isolates are more virulent than Type II isolates at 25 (77°F) and 30°C (Figure 3). This finding may explain why cool-season turfgrass is subjected to more severe outbreaks of dollar spot, excluding the extended duration of optimal environmental conditions in areas where cool-season turfgrass species thrive.

Biologically, the temperatures we studied in the 20 to 30°C range are frequently observed in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States during early to mid-summer and again late-summer to early-fall, when dollar spot is widely found on turfgrass. Our data support the near complete lack of growth from all isolates at 35°C. These results may explain why dollar spot has a binomial disease distribution during the growing season in the United States, particularly in the South (approximate latitude from 24 to 37°N). Isolates from this study that did not grow at 35°C in the controlled environment chamber resumed growth when exposed to decreased temperature of 22°C (72°F). We infer this is why a second dollar spot epidemic is readily occurring throughout the United States.

From the standpoint of a disease management strategy, these results present a potential problem for using bermudagrass in northern climates, especially in states at the northern tier of the transition zone. In our study, Type I isolates were more virulent than Type II isolates on both cool and warm season grasses. The movement of bermudagrass further north from Virginia may result in increased disease severity of dollar spot on warm-season species. This should be of significant interest to turfgrass breeders developing bermudagrass cultivars for use in northern locations. In the 2013–14 Progress Report published by the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), the only site where dollar spot data were

Figure 2: Mean mycelial growth by isolate type at 60hr.

Figure 3: Mean disease severity by isolate type and host type at 25°C.

collected on bermudagrass cultivars was in Jay, FL (NTEP, 2014). Expanding the locations of evaluations of dollar spot data collection sites should be included in future reports, particularly in transition zone states. This will serve as useful information for golf course superintendents and turfgrass managers during consideration of turfgrass species selection.

In chemical control management strategy, to our knowledge, there were no studies comparatively examining the effect of fungicides on Type I versus Type II isolates. Therefore, it is likely that the same fungicide classes provide acceptable field control at this time work on both populations, with the exception of regularly occurring resistant populations.

Optimal classes for dollar spot control include the SDHIs (succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors), DMIs (demethylation inhibitors), chloronitriles, dicarboximides, dinitroanilines, and methyl benzimidazole carbamates (MBCs). 7 Dr. Wakar Uddin is a professor of Plant Pathology and Dr. Brian Aynardi is former graduate research assistant in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802.

Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass 15

Between the Lines

Between the Lines

Meet Gene Long, the Man Behind the Coleman Park Baseball Fields

The

Frederick D. “Fritz” Miller Memorial Baseball Field at Coleman Memorial Park in Lebanon, PA is an acknowledged local treasure. Built in 1958, Miller Field is the home field of the Lebanon High baseball team and also hosts the annual Coleman Park Hitting Contest each August. It received the Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization’s Field of Distinction honor in 2016. A conversation with longtime caretaker Gene Long gives us some insight into why the fields at Coleman Park are so outstanding.

A Labor of Love Long has been nurturing the fields at Coleman Park since the early 90s, when Karl “Skip” Wolfe, a league official, PIAA umpire, and one of the Coleman Park Trustees saw the impressive quality of Gene’s home field at Jonestown and recruited him. His involvement with baseball field management grew out of his passion for the game. “I am one of thousands who have learned to love the game of baseball.

It has always provided joy in my life. I played the game as a youngster and young adult. I encouraged my son and his son to play the game. I coached a local team,” he says. “And I now find fulfillment by offering my local community a beautiful, safe place to play the game.”

Coleman Park has four fields and a limited budget — a big challenge for one volunteer. “Since I am now retired, I am fortunate enough to be able to donate labor hours,” Gene Long says. He does not have a paid staff but receives handson support from the local baseball community. “Little league coaches, their teams, and parents come to spring field days and the youngsters help in the process, which I feel encourages them to adopt this field as their own,” he says.

Maintenance Routines Player skill levels and frequency of use are Long’s guide for prioritizing maintenance. The two little league fields are mowed throughout the entire growing season and fertilization, weed control, and over-seeding is done as needed. The multi-use utility field has a skinned infield and a portable

Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization 1451 Peter’s Mountain Road Dauphin, PA 17018-9504 www.KAFMO.org Email: KAFMO@aol.com 16 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

pitching mound which allows play for 60-, 70-, or 90-foot base lengths and can be removed for softball. This field is in use from April through October. The park’s premier ball field has major league dimensions and is in high demand for high school, local league, local and travel tournaments, as well as special holiday events.

Long starts his maintenance year by placing gear out onto the fields and using a light roller to level out frost heave. To test that things are level, he stretches a taut string along the entire grass line to determine if high or low spots are developing, then adjusts if necessary. The two large fields receive applications for weed grass and white grub prevention and two applications of fertilizer, one in early May and one in late September. The infield grass on the premium field demands the most attention. The turf is reel cut at a height of one inch and a quarter — not pro standard, but low enough to present special problems, says Long. Broadleaf invaders like white clover receive spot treatments and annual bluegrass always seems poised to move in.

Help from KAFMO That is where Gene’s working relationship with KAFMO comes into play. He realized soon after embarking on his field improvement tasks that some education would be necessary.

In pursuing a pesticide license at the local extension office, he learned of KAFMO and began to participate in workshops.

“The people of KAFMO have been directly helpful to me,” he says. “Jim Welshans came to the park at my request with a top-dressing machine and helped me top-dress my infield.

Penn State’s Dr. Peter Landschoot has been at the park to diagnose turf problems. He worked with me to renovate infield grass and eliminate my dreaded enemy, poa annua.

This action was 98% effective and resulted in a dense ryegrass cover.”

He recalls that last year was exasperating due to turf loss as a result of disease. He spent the winter reviewing tech articles and plans to keep a record of field temperatures and humidity and watch for disease indicators this year. He has an action plan in mind but is glad that he can call on the expertise of people at KAFMO when necessary.

Contact: Linda Kulp, Executive Secretary Phone: 717-497-4154 kulp1451@gmail.com

Contact: Dan Douglas, President Phone: 610-375-8469 x 212 KAFMO@aol.com

Gene Long

Miller Field

Sources of Pride Gene Long has a lot to be proud of. He has been a Coleman Park trustee since 2001 and has seen many field improvements in that time. Community organizations, private citizens, and support groups like Friends of Coleman Park and the Lebanon Baseball Association have made possible a new backstop, a hitting cage, several soft toss stations, bullpen mounds, a storage shed, foul poles, large dugouts, and center field trees, which serve as a beautiful batters’ eye. A combination of local funds and MLB’s Baseball Tomorrow Fund provided for the installation of a 16-foot-high outfield fence.

“We have our own left field Monster Wall,” he points out.

An infield irrigation system to replace surface hoses and traveling sprinklers is his next goal.

But physical improvements are not Gene’s primary source of pride. “I receive payment for time spent in the park every time I hear positive comments about Coleman Park ball fields,” he says. “I recently had a high school player tell me, ‘I’m excited to be back playing baseball here on this field.

I’ve missed it since last year.’ I love to hear the comments from out-of-state tournament visitors and several local coaches who have been here ever since I arrived also comment how thankful they are to be coaching in the park.” Gene Long believes it is all part of contributing to the sport of baseball.

“Walking away from a game-prepared field, when I look back and see young players enjoying the game — that is when I am proud.” 7

Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass 17

Penn State News

Unraveling the genetic basis for Poa annua’s extreme adaptability

By Chris Benson and David R. Huff, Dept of Plant Science, Pennsylvania State University

The

greens-type Poa annua breeding project at Penn State began in 1994, and through its focus on collection, selection, and evaluation, has developed superior cultivars of greens-type Poa annua. Production of elite cultivars is constrained by nonMendelian inheritance of the dwarfism phenotype in the absence of extensive management practices during seed production. A likely contributor to Poa’s extreme adaptability and phenotypic plasticity is its polyploid origins. It has been demonstrated that Poa undergoes tremendous chromosomal rearrangement upon whole genome duplication postpolyploidization (Koshy 1968; Mao and Huff 2012). Fitting with its chromosomal versatility and reluctance to produce

valuable seed through traditional breeding, our preliminary experiments suggest that Poa annua can pass on memory of environmental conditions to its offspring via epigenetic mechanisms. Our current project is focused on developing novel breeding methods based on epigenetic memory and transgenerational inheritance that we believe is rampant in this unique system. Using our discoveries, we will screen genomic loci that are critical for greens-type stability and enhanced stress tolerance. Ultimately, we plan to release elite and stable varieties of Poa annua for commercial use on golf course putting greens that will aid golf course superintendents and architects in establishing and renovating greens of highquality, stress-tolerant, and cost-effective Poa annua. 7

Students Volunteer at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Students in the Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program recently spent a week at Bay Hill in Orlando where they volunteered at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. These types of valuable learning experiences couldn’t be made possible without the support of many people including Chris Flynn (golf course superintendent), Jeff Hiday (Rainbird), Bland Cooper (PGA Tour), Penn State Department of Plant Science, and Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.

The students thank everyone for the experience.

Professor Receives Excellence in Advising Award

Ben McGraw

Class of 2019

Congratulations to Dr. Ben McGraw, Professor of Turfgrass Science, who recently received Penn State’s College of Agriculture Alumni Society 2019 Excellence in Advising Award! The award recognizes exceptional performance and innovation in advising.

Alumni Updates

Student Receives C. Reese Berdanier Endowed Award

Class of 2019

Congratulations to Ph.D. student Evan Mascitti, this year’s recipient of the C. Reese Berdanier Endowed Award! The award recognizes one outstanding graduate student who is pursuing a degree in agronomy or soil science.

Evan Mascitti 18 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Summer 2019

Congratulations to the recent graduates of the 2-Year Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program! The Class of 2019 recently celebrated their graduation with a ceremony at the Nittany Lion Inn.

Christine M. Arias

Marcus A. Lounello

Aaron T. Cabanaw

Alexander S. Panzenhagen

Raul Iurk Neto

Nathan M. Wattier

Penn State Turf Team

Jeffrey A. Borger Senior Instructor in Turfgrass Weed Management 814-865-3005 • jborger@psu.edu

Michael A. Fidanza, Ph.D. Professor of Plant & Soil Science 610-396-6330 • maf100@psu.edu

David R. Huff, Ph.D. Professor of Turfgrass Genetics 814-863-9805 • drh15@psu.edu

Brad Jakubowski Instructor of Plant Science 814-865-7118 • brj8@psu.edu

800-247-BEAM www.BEAMCLAY.com email: sales@beamclay.com

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John E. Kaminski, Ph.D. Professor of Turfgrass Science 814-865-3007 • jek156@psu.edu www.gelcogolf.com

Peter J. Landschoot, Ph.D. Professor of Turfgrass Science 814-863-1017 • pjl1@psu.edu

• Irrigation Systems • Golf Course Alterations • Field Drainage

130 Devereux Road • Glenmoore, PA 19343 610-942-3809 • Fax: 610-942-9556 • Pump Stations • Vibratory Plowing • Pond Cleanout

• Trenching • Stream Bank Stabilization • Drainage on Existing Greens

Ben McGraw, Ph.D. Associate Professor of

Turfgrass Entomology 814-865-1138 • bam53@psu.edu

Andrew S. McNitt, Ph.D. Professor of Soil Science 814-863-1368 • asm4@psu.edu

Max Schlossberg, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Turfgrass Nutrition / Soil Fertility 814-863-1015 • mjs38@psu.edu

Al J. Turgeon, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Turfgrass Management aturgeon@psu.edu

Wakar Uddin, Ph.D. Professor of Plant Pathology 814-863-4498 • wxu2@psu.edu Summer 2019 • Pennsylvania Turfgrass 19