Regardless of the turf species grown in the Southeast, golf course superintendents are facing an uphill battle with one of the toughest pests in the region: Poa annua. Luckily, a national team of 16 scientists from 15 universities has been assembled to study this problematic weed. Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan, from Texas A&M AgriLife Research, is leading the $5.7 million dollar federally funded project.
The project will examine all aspects of Poa annua physiology, distribution and growth characteristics. From a management perspective, distribution of herbicide-resistant populations and alternative herbicides will be studied. Bringing plant biology and control methods together, each member of the research team will be collecting Poa annua samples with suspected herbicide resistance while also providing extension and educational support.
If you suspect you have herbicide-resistant Poa annua populations, or would like to learn more about the project, please contact the research team member representing your home state.
- Muthu Bagavathiannan, Texas A&M University, muthu@tamu.edu
- Jim Brosnan, University of Tennessee, jbrosnan@utk.edu
- Travis Gannon, North Carolina State University, travis_gannon@ncsu.edu
- Bert McCarty, Clemson University, bmccrty@clemson.edu
- Patrick McCullough, University of Georgia, pmccull@uga.edu
- Jay McCurdy, Mississippi State University, jdm269@msstate.edu
- Scott McElroy, Auburn University, jsm0010@auburn.edu
- Brian Unruh, University of Florida, jbu@ufl.edu
Source: http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/poa-team-5million-research-grant/
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Chris Hartwiger, director, USGA Course Consulting Service – chartwiger@usga.org
Steve Kammerer, regional director – skammerer@usga.org
Patrick M. O’Brien, agronomist – patobrien@usga.org
Addison Barden, agronomist – abarden@usga.org
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service
