Abstract:
Golf course superintendents are often challenged by labor shortages and must find creative ways to complete maintenance tasks, such as rolling putting greens immediately after a fungicide application, before golfers arrive. However, there is concern that rolling immediately after a fungicide application could reduce its efficacy. The objective of this research was to determine whether rolling immediately after a contact fungicide application reduces disease suppression on putting greens. Field experiments were conducted in 2021 and 2022 in Saint Paul, MN, and in 2022 in Columbus, OH. The experimental design was a split-plot randomized complete block design examining the interaction between rolling and fungicide application. The fungicide Secure Action (fluazinam with acibenzolar-S-methyl) was applied approximately every 14 or 28 days and was either rolled or not rolled within 10 min of application. Data were collected for dollar spot (caused by Clarireedia jacksonii), Rhizoctonia disease, turfgrass quality, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Across all experiments, there was no significant effect of rolling or its interaction with fungicide on disease control. In 2021, fungicide application significantly reduced the number of Rhizoctonia infection centers and improved turfgrass quality and NDVI in Saint Paul, regardless of rolling treatment. In 2022, fungicide application significantly reduced the area under the disease progress curve for dollar spot at both locations and for Rhizoctonia in Saint Paul, regardless of the rolling treatment. These data show that rolling after applying Secure Action (a contact fungicide plus a systemic chemical) does not reduce its efficacy.