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• News 2012
• Cold snap triggers contact switch

Plummeting temperatures has put a halt to turf growth, after a record-breaking mild winter that kept turf growing far longer than normal. Greenkeepers and turf managers should now use contact⁺ Medallion TL fungicide activity to protect turf quality through to new spring growth, advises Syngenta Technical Manager, Dr Simon Watson.

When turf growth stops, it puts the plant under increased stress and with greater susceptibility to disease, he warns. Disease infection also has the chance to develop without growing out and being mown off - which can result in serious scarring and loss of surface smoothness. "An application of Medallion TL when there is a risk of Fusarium Patch attack can give long-lasting control during cold, slow growing conditions," he advised. "It's especially important to protect turf quality now, with little chance of recovery from damage until growth picks up later in the spring.



Tackling Fuasrium infection in the thatch with Medallion TL now can reduce the risk of disease breaking out (above) - and prevent damage to the playing surface that could take months to repair.  

"One of the key benefits we have seen with Medallion TL, in addition to the outstanding disease protection on the leaf, is the activity that knocks out disease pathogen in the thatch. That can significantly reduce the potential sources of infection and lower the risk of disease attack for a prolonged period."

Dr Watson pointed out that any growth in the leaf and stem will take contact fungicide with it, leaving the base without fungicide protection and more susceptible to infection. "This makes the knockdown of pathogen in the thatch even more important," he added. "The contact⁺ activity of Medallion TL will be the mainstay of protection until turf starts to grow again in the spring."

To help time fungicide applications more effectively, greenkeepers and agronomists can review their local weather forecast and predictions of disease risks for the coming five days on the free turf management website, www.greencast.co.uk 

Application advice

Application technique is crucially important to protect the leaf sheath right down to the meristem growing point. On tight mown playing surfaces the fine droplets from flat fan nozzles tend to coat the leaf tips, but do not penetrate and are quickly mown off as soon as growth occurs; the larger droplets from Syngenta Turf Foliar Nozzles have the velocity to get a higher proportion of spray down to the base of dense turf plants, coupled with the air-induction 'cushion' and reduced water volume capability to retain more product on the leaf and stem.