Mutations Cancel The title field is required!

1. Churchill Kevin

   
   8/16/2011 4:08 PM

   Is anybody aware of any research that has been done on the mutations of Tifdwarf.
   
   For example...
   
   Is there a correlation between any weather/environmental conditions with the appearance/development of mutations? Could excessive organic matter and thatch play a role? Could it be related to heat and/or rainfall? Is it related to specific fertilizer or chemical applications? Overwatering, underwatering, excessive cultural practices, etc.?
   
   It seems to me that if the DNA of something is changing, it means that it is adjusting to its environment.
   
   We have had 20+ inches of rain over the past month and very hot conditions. Mutations are very visible and stressed out. The same thing happened 2 years ago following similar conditions. I attributed it to a Rubigan application at the time, so it could be PGR related as I've continued to use Primo in these excessive conditions. However, I did take a 3 week break from Primo recently and it seemed to help a little, but green speeds became too slow so I reincorporated it.
   
   This isn't a topic I've seen much of, so I would love to hear some opinions or facts. Thank you all for your time.
   
   Kevin Churchill
   Kelly Plantation Golf Club

   
   
   
   
2. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   8/16/2011 4:08 PM

   Kevin,
   
   This has been a hot topic here the past few weeks. I believe it is all weather related. We've been experiencing and hearing it from everybody. Mutations turn yellow, get weak and stressed and look like they are on the way out. We've got some areas as well, but have continued our Primo programs throughout as we feel this helps keep the off-types under control and capable of tolerating the lower mowing heights. If anything, raise your height of cut to relieve any type of stress. And don't worry, you aren't alone.

   
   
   
   
3. Steven Huffstutler

   

   11 posts
   
   8/16/2011 6:08 PM

   Are they mutations or contamination? Probably a mix, but what I am seeing looks like contamination to me. It is very difficult not to contaminate these greens, especially if you have 419 against an ultradwarf. The simple act of aerifying will introduce a quantity of live sprigs of indeterminate origin into the sward. While mutations do occur, I suspect that most of these areas are either old TifDwarf coming through or 419 that I have inadvertently introduced or contamination from the turf farm.
   
   Regards,
   
   Steve

   
   
   
   
4. Churchill Kevin

   
   8/16/2011 9:08 PM

   Andy,
   
   Thanks for the support. Though it's nice to know I'm not alone, I would love to understand this phenomenon so I can manage it better. Great advice, as I've also seen verticutting set these areas back a bit.
   
   Steve,
   
   Yes, there is no doubt a mix. #4 green has a great deal of 419 contamination, plus some of our collars have contamination issues that appear as poor turf no matter what the weather conditions are, due to the low HOC. The majority of the areas appear to be mutations. The greens are 13 years old and the original greens. There has been no DNA testing or anything, but I'm pretty sure they're textbook mutations. I hadn't considered the lack of purity from the sod farm.
   
   Thanks,
   
   Kevin

   
   
   
   
5. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   8/17/2011 5:08 AM

   Kevin,
   
   I agree with the verticutting. We set ours back quite a bit as well. Although light verticutting, or grooming, seems to help keep this turf manageable.
   
   Although I don't know if it is a mutation or an off-type, I can tell you that I've seen greens that were beautiful and pure for a number of years only to start seeing this turf pop-up 7-10 years after planting. That could mean it could be like Steve said and a contamination from outside the green surface, or, a true mutation.

   
   
   
   
6. Kinney Brian

   
   8/17/2011 7:08 AM

   My edges where the GN-1 is encroaching onto the dwarf is off this week too. lots of rain and clouds last week, u aint alone.

   
   
   
   
7. Keith Lamb

   

   3 posts
   
   8/17/2011 11:08 AM

   Been dealing with this since I got here. An inherited problem for me. I stood next to Morris Brown numerous times as he told us to "not worry about it, Champion will take it over." Bullpoop! Even on his last visit here a couple months ago he did acknowledge that there was a problem (Duh!), but still tried to say that the previous Supt. didn't roll in the roundup correctly. Huh? I believe the off-type/contamination is also a mutation. So now we are stuck with these greens and not in the financial position to redo the redo. The best I can do is manage them in a way to produce the best playing conditions. This strategy does not make them look pretty though. Bi-weekly verticut, double-cut and topdress. Weekly backtrack double-cut. Have the groomers on my greensmowers set-up at .080 " below HOC. The off-type looks terrible right now.....almost like I have disease, but they are smooth and mostly true. The Champion looks great, but with the off-type in such distress, the greens look.....umm.....interesting.
   
   I got the same e-mail Andy from my AAT rep. Didn't tell me anything I didn't know already.
   
   The story from Morris goes something like this. 20+ years ago when they were building courses like crazy in Florida, Pikes Creek was supplying most of the 419 sprigs. The "yellow dog" came in on those sprigs and the rest is history.
   
   It must be that simple....right?

   
   
   
   
8. Wahlin Scott B

   
   8/17/2011 1:08 PM

   I tried the Champion no-till on my executive course. We had terrible luck with the grass and the return of the old grass. Two courses nearby had wonderful success with it. We resurfaced our championship course greens, used methybromide and sprigged with tifdwarf. We have no spots in them yet although our nursery green completely failed - fully contaminated. We resurfaced our executive course again with Basamid and tifdwarf. Four greens have spots and five do not.

   
   
   
   
9. Steven Huffstutler

   

   11 posts
   
   8/17/2011 1:08 PM

   My Champion was put in in 2005 and some of them are 30% something else....... Yellow dog and 419. All of them are contaminated to one degree or another. Some of it is my fault and some of it....well, I don't know.
   There is a guy here who has regrassed twice within the last 5 years because of the off types and it looks like he's gonna have to do it again with greens that were put in 2 years ago. This is a more serious problem than the breeders care to admit. My solution to the problem is to regrass every 5 years.
   
   Regards,
   
   Steve

   
   
   
   
10. Neidhardt John J

    
    8/18/2011 5:08 AM

    We have an abundance of mutations in our 30 year Tifdwarf greens. Other than being unsightly and off-colored, they only begin to act up in late summer and fall. We then overseed and spread them around unknowingly through our cup cutting all winter when the dwarf is covered by our Poa Trivialis. The problem only gets worse with time.We are located in coastal Georgia.

    
    
    
    
11. Churchill Kevin

    
    8/18/2011 2:08 PM

    I have ordered some gibberelic acid to spot spray on a couple of mutations to counter the primo. Probably won't help, but I'll let you know if it does.
    
    Is there anything besides fans that can cool the surface when soil temperatures reach 100 degrees? It seems as though we can all agree the hot conditions are playing a role. I'm tentative to just water these areas in the middle of the day as I don't want to see these spots boil, and there's still moisture in the soil. The excessive rain surely played a part in that.
    
    Along those same lines, could it get worse as greens get older because there is more organic matter in the soil, which holds more water and less gases, so these areas get really hot? Kind of a wet wilt affect.
    
    Thank you all for your responses.
    
    Kevin

    
    
    
    
12. Neidhardt John J

    
    8/19/2011 7:08 AM

    According to Patrick O'Brien during my last USGA Turf Advisory visit, He credited many mutations in our older greens to Ultra violet sun radiation.
    
    
    John Neidhardt
    Golf Course Superintendent
    Jekyll Island Golf Club

    
    
    
    
13. Churchill Kevin

    
    8/20/2011 10:08 AM

    John,
    
    Very interesting! Thank you.
    
    Does anyone make a sprayable SPF 50 sunblock?
    
    Both times I've had this problem it's followed high heat and heavy rainfall. If the UV rays increase mutations over time, could it be that extended periods of cloud cover causes these areas to deteriorate? I know Tifdwarf hates cloud cover anyway, so could these mutations hate it worse? Great piece of info John! You got my wheels turning.
    
    Kevin