Integrating alternative strategies to improve the sustainable management of dollar spot

Dollar spot is a golf course disease with one of the greatest financial impacts in the world, and its severity has increased dramatically in recent years in parts of Europe, Scandinavia, and the UK due to climate change. At the same time, greater governmental restrictions have limited the fungicides available for dollar spot management, and increasing rates of fungicide resistance have resulted in decreased product efficacy.
This project brings together an experienced team of researchers from the US, UK, Norway, and Germany with the overall goal of developing more sustainable dollar spot management strategies. Specific research objectives include assessing the ability of robotic mowers to suppress dollar spot, validating the Smith-Kerns Dollar Spot Prediction Model for expanded use across Europe, evaluating a range of alternative and ecologically sensitive products for efficacy against dollar spot, and determining how to integrate UVC light into an effective dollar spot management program.
The results from this research will be immediately applicable to turfgrass practitioners around the world and disseminated broadly through presentations at regional turfgrass education meetings, in regional and national trade journal articles, and in peer-reviewed scientific publications. Implementing the recommendations put forward by this proposal will enhance the sustainability of golf courses and help golf courses meet the United Nations sustainability goals outlined in Agenda 2030.