Cover Story
Revisiting Dr. Houston Couch’s Advice on
Maximizing Fungicide Efficacy Through Proper Application Techniques By Michael Fidanza, Ph.D., Professor of Plant and Soil Science Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus, Reading, PA and John Kaminski, Ph.D., Professor of Turfgrass Science Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
The
late Dr. Houston Couch (1924 — 2004), published a series of three articles in 1984 and 1985 on methods, techniques, and other factors to improve fungicide applications to turf. He was a turfgrass pathologist at Pennsylvania State University early in his career, and at Virginia Tech for the remainder of his career. In 2002, he received the prestigious GCSAA Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award, and was recognized in 2003 with the USGA Green Section Award. Since those ‘Dr. Couch articles’,
there have been many advances in spray application equipment and technology over the past several years in both the agricultural and green industry sectors, as well as research on making adjustments to spray nozzles to improve or ensure product delivery and performance. Let’s revisit water-carrier spray volume and spray tips or nozzles. Water-Carrier Volume. In golf course turf management, a commonly accepted rule-of-thumb is to calibrate your sprayer to deliver 1 (one) gallon of water-carrier per 1000 square feet
Henry “Butch” Wetzel, retired golf course superintendent from St. David’s GC (Wayne, PA), going through a sprayer calibration exercise with different spray nozzle types. Also be sure to check the sprayer’s hoses, water filter, screens, and check the nozzles for proper function and alignment.
10 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Spring 2021
