Using the Smith-Kerns Dollar Spot model

Last week Bill Kreuser at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln posted this on Turf iNfo:

We use different models to help make agronomic decisions in turf. There are growing degree-day models to help control Poa seed heads, schedule plant growth regulator applications, and anticipate emergence of pests. Even simple models, like soil temperatures windows to schedule PRE herbicides or fungicides to control root diseases, help us use data to improve the efficiency of turfgrass management. And while all models are wrong to some degree, models are generally better than calendar-based applications. That’s because every year is different, so what’s appropriate one year could by a tremendous waste of money the next year. Plant pathologists have released a new model for predicting dollar spot outbreaks this past winter. Dr. Paul Koch, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke about its development at conference last January.

See it all here