Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

• Short-term outcomes:
  • Fall dollar spot sequencing: Final report on the sequencing results revealed no significant differences between the dollar spot isolates collected in the fall vs the summer. Though a small sample set, this suggests that environmental and/or management practices can be altered to better suppress fall dollar spot.
  • Cultural practices project: Across locations the impact of dew removal on dollar spot development varied, mostly due to the time of dew removal. We can inform turfgrass managers that for increased efficacy, remove dew as early in the morning as posssible.
  • Host resistance project: Coho was the most resistant cultivar chosen and showed excellent dollar spot resistance in the face of very heavy pressures. Can inform turfgrass managers that it's important to choose a cultivar with strong dollar spot resistance when seeding a new project.
  • Bentgrass cultivar survey: Survey results showed that turfgrass managers like to choose cultivars with increased dollar spot resistance but don't change disease management practices signifiantly after implementation. Altered management practices on resistant cultivars is an important point that researchers and extension specialists can focus on.
• Outputs:
  • Summary report of dollar spot sequencing demonstrated no significant differences between isolates collected during the summer or fall.
  • Dollar spot cultural practices project produced data on the efficacy of multiple cultural practices from 6 universities in 2022. This was the second year of data collected and is sufficient to begin working on a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed publication.
  • Dollar spot host resistance project produced data on the combined efficacy of host resistance and cultural practices from 7 different locations. This was the first year of data collection and the study will be repeated in 2023.
  • The bentgrass survey results provided results from 208 respondants detailing the most important factors considered when choosing a new bentgrass cultivar.
• Activities:
  • Dollar spot cultural practices project was a collaboration among Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, UMass, Clemson, Ohio St, and Penn St. All will collaborate on the development of the peer-reviewed manuscript.
  • Dollar spot host resistance was a collaboration among Wisconsin, Kansas St, MSU, PSU, Rutgers, UMass, and USGA at Pinehurst. This was the first year of data collection and all have agreed to participate in Year 2.
  • Bentgrass cultivar survey was conducted and the report disseminated among the group. An extension publication summarizing the results will be developed in 2023.
• Milestones:
  • Many milestones from this project have already been met. Milestones listed in the project proposal from 2021 and 2022 that have been completed include:
    • Continue cultural practice and fungicide efficacy field trials developed in 2020. Present trials at university field days.
    • WI will continue to conduct preliminary ‘precision dollar spot management’ field study.
    • Use molecular assays developed in 2020 (e.g., assays to quantify pathogen populations in the thatch and plant) to initiate new field studies exploring dollar spot biology and epidemiology.
    • Identify creeping bentgrass cultivars with highest dollar spot resistance and discuss strategies for increased adoption by golf course superintendents.
    • Continue field and in vitro trials established in 2020 and present data where appropriate at university field days and conferences/seminars/trade shows.
    • Continue epidemiological and resistance management studies using molecular assays developed in 2020.
    • Release strategies to increase adoption of dollar spot resistant bentgrass cultivars in golf course construction and renovation. Strategies may be incorporated into a stand-alone fact sheet, included with another fact sheet, or published solely on the website.
    • WI will conclude preliminary ‘precision dollar spot management’ field study and present results and develop a recommendation for the feasibility of this technology moving forward.
• Plans for coming year:
  • We are initiating two new projects in 2023. One researching the most effective way to interseed new, resistant cultivars into an existing stand. Another to determine appropriate spray thresholds with the Smith-Kerns Dollar Spot model on cultivars with increased dollar spot resistance. We also plan to write and submit one peer-reviewed manuscript and one extension publication.

None to date.