| Class
will be held in room 204b, from 6:00 - 10:00 pm, on
Mondays |
| Session |
Date |
Lecture
topics planned |
Chapters
to read in Turgeon 8th ed. |
Laboratory
and other special activities |
Exam
and assignment deadlines |
| 1 |
27
Aug 2007 |
Self
introductions. Course objectives and summary.
Core concepts. The cultural roots of turfgrass.
The science of turf. The business of turf.
Introduction to conversions. Turf and the web.
Reading a scientific document. Using library resources,
including the Turfgrass Information File, http://tgif.msu.edu |
1 |
Objectives
and learning goals Plant seeds of grass species
and weeds for identification.
|
Begin
reading a scientific paper and write a 100-150 word
critique. (Kneebone, W. R. and I. L. Pepper.
1982. Consumptive water use by sub-irrigated turfgrass
under desert conditions. Agron. J. 74:419-423.).
Term paper instructions. |
| |
3
Sep 2007 |
No
class - Labor Day |
| 2 |
10
Sep 2007 |
Natural
history of grass. Parts of the grass plant.
Grass identification. How grasses around the world
grow and develop. More on conversions. The genera
of warm-season turfgrasses. Review for test #1. |
2,
Appendices
1, 2 |
Observe
the Living Lawn Demonstration Project. Observe
spikelets under dissecting microscopes. Observe germinated
grass seedlings. |
Turn
in summaries of Kneebone article. Topic titles due. |
| 3 |
17
Sep 2007 |
Grass anatomy and physiology.
C3 (cool-season) vs. C4 (warm season) turfgrass species
and their uses, genetic diversity, competition and
encroachment, seeds vs. vegetative propagation.
Conversions, continued.
|
3,
8 |
|
Hour
test #1: The kinds of turfgrasses
and how and where they grow and why we grow them; turfgrass
environment (not edaphic); primary cultural practices;
conversions. |
| 4 |
24
Sep 2007 |
Primary turfgrass cultural practices.
The physics of turfgrass, energy exchanges.
Water, evapotranspiration, irrigation, sprinkler system
design. Soil physics (particle size, drainage).
Localized dry spots, percolation, USGA Greens Specification.
Units conversion,
Physics and chemistry.
|
4, 5 |
Irrigation
demonstration, friction loss in pipes, irrigation uniformity,
factors in evaporation.
|
 |
| 5 |
1
Oct 2007 |
Fertilization
and turfgrass nutrition. Nitrate and nonpoint
pollution. Mowing and mower safety. Design
and establishment, Irrigation, Grass
Genera and species
to know |
|
Fertilizer
calibration and Which
fertilizer to buy?, soil sampling, soil particles. |
|
| 6 |
8
Oct 2007 |
Introduction
to ecology and pest management, insects, disease organisms,
weeds, nematodes. |
6 |
Turf
biota: List of organisms to memorize
|
Hour
test #2: Irrigation and soil; turfgrass environments
and conversions; the biotic environment. |
| 7 |
15
Oct 2007 |
Pesticides
and pesticide safety. |
7,
Appendix 3 |
Sprayer calibration demonstration.
|
|
| 8 |
22
Oct 2002 |
IPM (Integrated Pest Management), Silent
Spring, EPA, pesticide labeling and applicator certification. |
|
Sampling
for chinch bugs and other insects. |
|
| 9 |
29
Oct 2007 |
All
Day Field Trip, Palm Beach County (sod farm, golf course,
etc) |
| 10 |
5
Nov 2007 |
Secondary cultural practices. (core
cultivation, verticutting), soil amendments and topdressing,
overseeding. |
9 |
|
Hour
test #3: Turf pests and ecology. |
|
12
Nov 2007 |
No
class - Veterans Day |
| 11 |
19
Nov 2007 |
Putting
it all together, "What is science and technology?"
Interpreting experiments. |
|
|
|
| 12 |
26
Nov 2007 |
Student
presentations. |
|
|
Term
papers due |
| 13 |
3
Dec 2007 |
Review
for final exam. |
|
|
|
| 14 |
10
DEC 2007 |
********** Final Exam
(comprehensive) *********
|
