April Sorrow, news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Services reports that some experts have introduced a new iPhone application that can help turfgrass managers diagnose and remedy turf problems.
Patrick McCullough, a turf-weed scientist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences came up with the idea of using iPhone applications as a means to download textbooks for turfgrass.
Originally envisioned for weed identification and herbicide recommendations, McCullough expanded the Turfgrass Management application to include all aspects of turfgrass management.
With input from UGA Cooperative Extension turf specialist Clint Waltz, entomologist Will Hudson and plant pathologist Alfredo Martinez he developed a complete package of information from a library of turfgrass textbooks, complete with recommendations that’s now easily accessible in the field.
Turf managers, landscape professionals, homeowners and UGA Extension county agents can essentially have a mobile textbook with pictures and information on grass species, diseases, insects and pest control. The team is currently working on a pesticide database that will allow turf managers to research uses and application rates for pesticides, herbicides and plant regulators.
“With this application, if something is new, we can add it right away. The technology will never be out of date. The weed section has over 160 species, searchable in a variety of ways. If you have a crab grass, the application will show you the various species, pictures of each, descriptions of each plant and herbicide recommendations.” McCullough said.
Martinez, who answers turf disease problems daily, said the interactive tool will help managers treat problems faster. “They can make more educated selections and diagnose problems using this tool,” Martinez said. “It will have an impact on the environment, too, because they can be more judicious about the control they choose.”
Released in August, the application has been downloaded around the world from users in Australia, South Africa, England, Canada and all across the United States.
“UGA has a possibility to make an international impact with our research and extension using this application,” McCullough said. The application costs 99 cents to download from iTunes. A yearly subscription to the database is $19.99.
Revenues generated from the sale fund turfgrass research at UGA.
For additional information contact:
April R. Sorrow
University of Georgia
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
aprilr@uga.edu
Patrick E McCullough – pmccull@uga.edu
Alfredo Martinez – martinez@griffin.uga.edu