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Contact information: Philip Busey, Associate Professor of Environmental Horticulture, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, 3205 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314, 954-577-6337 (voice), 954-475-4125 (fax), turf@ufl.edu

Education

• Ph.D., University of Arizona (Agronomy and Plant Genetics), 1976, Dissertation title, "Breeding and cytogenetics of lovegrasses (Eragrostis spp.)."
• M.S., University of Illinois (Agronomy), 1971; Thesis title, "Meiosis and karyotypes in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench."
• B.S. with Distinction, Colorado State University (Agronomy), 1969.

• Associate Professor (1996 to present), Turfgrass Weed Ecology, University of Florida , Environmental Horticulture Dept. (Responsibilities, below).
• Associate Professor (1981 to present), Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics, University of Florida , Environmental Horticulture Dept.
• Assistant Professor (1976-1981), Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics, University of Florida , Environmental Horticulture Dept.
• Research Associate (1973-1976), University of Arizona, Dept. of Agronomy, (cytology, embryo culture, microtechnique, field and greenhouse management, and foundation seed production.)
• Herbarium/Research Assistant (1971-1973),, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. Collection expedition to Panama. Wrote keys to and descriptions of families and species (see Croat, T. B. 1978. Flora of Barro Colorado Island. Stanford Univ. Press, 943 p.). Coordinated sale and transport of 600 herbarium cases. Organized filing of specimens
• Instructor in Vocational Horticulture (1970-1971), Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. On-the-job training for high school students at risk as potential dropouts.
• Landscaper Assistant (1967-1968), Gernot Heinrichsdorf, Colorado Springs.

• Member, Naturescape Broward Committee (contact: Commissioner Jacobs).
• Honorary Member, South Florida Golf Course Superintendent Association (contact: Kelly Cragin).
• Member, Broward Sierra Group, Sierra Club (contact: Rod Tirrell).
• Webmaster, South Florida Education Center, www.SFEC.org (contact: Larry Penso).
• Advisory Member, Miami-Dade Horticultural Advisory Member (contact: Henrique Mayer).

Research Responsibilities

• The mission for this position is research on turfgrasses, specifically environmental weed management, and academic instruction.
• Weeds are the most difficult turfgrass cultural problem for Florida's single family households and the second most reported management problem on golf courses. To control turfgrass weeds, $90 million is spent on herbicides each year in Florida. Much of the remaining $8.7 billion value added annually to Florida's economy from turfgrass is for regular mowing, irrigation, and fertilization, which function to selectively suppress weeds and favor the five major warm-season turfgrasses.
• Goals (CSREES Hatch Project FLA-FTL-04066) are to:
  1. Evaluate the role of cultural practices and environmental variables in weed management;
  2. Initiate the development of optimum decision tools for management of weeds in Florida turfgrass; and
  3. Assist in the development of alternatives to commonly used herbicides such as MSMA and atrazine, including cultural management, spot treatment, and preemergence herbicides.
• Methods include:
  1. The description of goosegrass and other weed populations in Florida as to reproductive strategies (e.g., seed yield, dispersal mechanism, germination requirement, and turf competitiveness);
  2. Evaluation of herbicides including rate, timing, tank mixtures, for control of single and mixed weed populations, and nontarget effects;
  3. Field experiments on the effects of cultural management variables such as mowing, irrigation, and fertilization on weed populations;
  4. Interviews and surveys of golf course superintendents, sports turf managers, sod producers, and lawn care professionals to describe present techniques.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Teach Turfgrass Culture (ORH 3222c); Golf and Sports Turf Management (ORH 4223); Landscape IPM: Ornamentals and Turf (PMA 4242); and Grass Biology (ORH 4905), in the Academic Program at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.  The academic instruction focus is teaching and student advisement for the new Golf and Sports Turf interdisciplinary studies (IDS) program, which serves a growing number of nontraditional students in South Florida.

Selected Publications (more complete list:  grove.ufl.edu/~turf/refs/ )

Book Chapters (refereed)

Busey, P. 2003a. St. Augustinegrass. Chapter 20 in: Casler, M. D., and Duncan, R. R. (eds.) Biology, breeding, and genetics of turfgrasses. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Busey, P. 2003b. Bahiagrass. Chapter 21 in: Casler, M. D., and Duncan, R. R. (eds.) Biology, breeding, and genetics of turfgrasses. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. 

Busey, P. and J. H. Parker. 1992. Energy conservation and efficient turfgrass maintenance. pp. 473-500 in: Waddington, D. V., R. N. Carrow, and R. C. Shearman (eds.). Turfgrass--Agronomy Monograph 32, American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI.

Busey, P. 1989. Progress and benefits to humanity from breeding warm-season grasses for turf. p. 49-70 in: D. A. Sleper, K. H. Asay, and J. F. Pedersen (eds.). Contributions from breeding forage and turf grasses. CSSA Spec. Publ. 15, Crop Science Society of America, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Selected Scientific Papers (more at:  grove.ufl.edu/~turf/refs/ )

Busey, P., and D. L. Johnston. 2006. Impact of cultural factors on weed populations in St. Augustinegrass turf. Weed Sci. 54:961-967.

Busey, P., and D. L. Johnston. 2005. Predicting preemergence herbicide effects on overseeded perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Internat. Turfgrass Res. Soc. J. 10:1179-1183.

Reinert, J. A. and P. Busey. 2005. Response of bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum, genotypes to feeding damage by tawny mole cricket, Scapteriscus vicinus. Internat. Turfgrass Res. Soc. J. 10:767-771.

Busey, P. 2004. Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) control with foramsulfuron in bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) turf. Weed Technology 18:634-640.

Busey, P. 2003. Winter survival of St. Augustinegrass cultivars. HortScience 38:1439-1440.

Busey, P. 2003. Cultural management of weeds in turfgrass: A review. Crop Science 43:1899-1911.

Busey, P. and T. K. Broschat.  2003.  Injury to landscape plants by volatile turf herbicides.  HortTechnology 13:650-653.

Busey, P.  2003.  Reduction of torpedograss (Panicum repens) canopy and rhizomes by quinclorac split applications. Weed Technology 17:190-194.

Busey, P. 2001. Optimum herbicide strategy for managing mixed weed populations in the southern U. S. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 9:1001-1004

Reinert, J. A. and P. Busey. 2001. Host resistance to tawny mole cricket, Scapteriscus vicinus, in bermudagrass, Cynodon  spp. International
Turfgrass Society Research Journal 9:793-797.

Busey, P. and S. B. Boyer. 1997. Golf ball roll friction of Cynodon  genotypes. International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 8:59-63.

Busey, P. 1996. Wilt avoidance in St. Augustinegrass germplasm. HortScience 31: 1135-1138.

Busey, P. 1995. Field and laboratory resistance of St. Augustinegrass germplasm to the southern chinch bug. HortScience 30:1253-1255.

Busey, P., R. M. Giblin-Davis, and B. J. Center. 1993. Resistance in Stenotaphrum  to the sting nematode. Crop Sci. 33:1066-1070.

Busey, P. 1992. Seedling growth, fertilization timing, and establishment of bahiagrass. Crop SCI 32:1099-1103..

Fluck, R. C. and P. Busey. 1988. Energy for mowing turfgrass. Trans. ASAE 31:1304-1308.

Busey, P. 1986. Bermudagras germplasm adaptation to natural pest infestation and suboptimal nitrogen fertilization. J. Am. Soc. Hort. SCI 111:630-634.

Busey, P., J. A. Reinert, and R. A. Atilano. 1982. Genetic and environmental determinants of zoysiagrass adaptation in a subtropical region. J. Am. Soc. Hort. SCI 107:79-82.

Busey, P. and B. J. Myers. 1979. Growth rates of turfgrasses propagated vegetatively. Agron. J. 71:817-821.

Popular Articles

Busey, P., and C. Gifford.  2002.  Resurfacing the Miami Dolphins' Training fields: Time to replace it. Florida Turf Digest. 19/3. : Pp. 36 -39

Busey, P.  1999. Goosegrass and golf don't mix. Golf Course Management 67(9):63-66.

Busey, P., C. Guy, A. Dudeck, and N. Harrison. 1995. DNA [in] bermudagrass fingerprinting. The Florida Green (Summer, 1995):56-60, 62-63..

Patents

Busey, P.  1993. FX-10 St. Augustinegrass.  (Plant Patent 7852).

Busey, P. 1991. FX-33 St. Augustinegrass.  (Plant Patent 7699).