Turf

TurF TecH by Doug Kremer Bacteria lends a Helping Hand Healthy turf begins at the root. "Fixing" roots with nitrogen, as azospirillum does, greatly increases root structure. Be it a golf course, soccer field or sod farm, grounds crew management and sod producers spend a significant amount of time growing and maintain- ing healthy turf. Wear and tear on these surfaces can be extreme, which makes maintaining the smooth, healthy turf that golfers, athletes and sod purchasers rely on difficult for management. The vitality of the turf often relies on a variety of chemical inputs—but does it need to? For turf managers looking for a more natural solution to healthier, hardier turf, microbial inputs can be a solution to promoting turf growth while minimizing usage of fertilizers and pesticides. There can be as many as 10,000 different micro-organism species existing in a gram of soil. There are bacteria that can help protect and nourish plants if present in large enough numbers. Microbial inputs can help increase the population of helpful micro-organisms in the living soil. azospirillum is a bacterium that has, in more recent years, become known for its effects on non-legumi- nous crops. First isolated from soil in the netherlands in 1925, the bacte- rium was forgotten for a half century before its rediscovery in the 1970s in Brazil. acting as a nitrogen "fixer," azospirillum harvests nitrogen from the air and soil and delivers it to the plant. While most microbial inoculants are applied to improve plant nutri- tion, azospirillum has yielded favor- able results in improving root structure year over year. When stabilized in high enough concentrations, it can impact plant growth. Microbes also aid the soil's efficiency of potassium and phos- phorous uptake. Specifically, azospirillum takes atmospheric nitrogen (n2) from the air and converts it to forms of nitrogen usable by the plant. The first step in azospirillum colonization in a plant is the absorption step, consisting of a rapid, loose and reversible binding of azospirillum to the root. The second step is the anchoring phase, in which the bacterium becomes irreversibly bound to the root's surface. during these first few days of asso- ciation, the bac- terium colonizes root hair zones of both primary and secondary roots. This natural pro- cess means users may decrease their usage of tra- ditional nitrogen fertilizers, saving both time and money. It also means the plant can become less dependent on manufactured nitrogen fertilizers and more sustainable through atmospheric nitrogen. essentially, users will "harvest from the sky" versus har- vesting from the ground. university research has identi- root ball comparison fied what numerous micro-organisms can do, from controlling insects, to stimulating plant growth. relatively few micro-organisms, however, have been realized into reliable and functional products for the market. cost of final product, storage and shelf life all con- tribute to the lack of commercialization. Minnesota-based TerraMax has discov- ered an advanced stabilization technol- ogy that can keep azospirillum viable for over one year. azospirillum products have been proven in university studies to increase rooting and top growth. Products can be applied either as a dry formula- tion on grass seeds, or sprayed as a liquid and watered into existing turf. a university of nebraska study in 2006 using TerraMax products showed a 69 percent increase in rooting in bluegrass using a dry azospirillum formula- tion on grass seeds and a 108 percent increase in rooting using a liquid for- mulation. The same study also showed a 55 percent increase in top growth with the dry formulation and 94 per- cent increase with liquid. users across the country have found value in including azospirillum in their golf courses, sports fields and sod farms. not only are they seeing health- ier, more resistant turf, they are also reducing their usage of expensive pes- ticides and fertilizers. "I have reduced my nitrogen inputs by 30 to 50 percent. I get better color and disease resistance, and can space my pesticide applications a few extra days," says dan Wolner, Superintendent of lake Panorama national Golf course in Iowa. Turf managers, golf superinten- dents and sod producers are well aware that healthy turf begins at the root. While parent material, climate, topography and vegetation contribute to the function and performance of the plant, "fixing" roots with nitrogen, as azospirillum does, greatly increases root structure. This is a key factor in better resisting changing climate con- ditions and daily wear and tear expe- rienced by turf surfaces. Studies have shown an almost 75 percent increase in Kentucky Bluegrass root volume six weeks after planting. Those caring for turf now have a more consistent and natural solution for treating their grounds or sod with azospirillum. WT Editor's Note: Doug Kremer is the founder and CEO of TerraMax. With over 30 years of experience in agriculture and horticulture, including developing patented technology for the formulation of microbial technologies, he is the driving force behind product development at TerraMax. Visit www.terramax.co. Winter 2012 23

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