Weather, armyworms challenge turf and forage producers

by MBJ Staff

Published: July 28,2014

Tags: agriculture, armyworm, Blake Layton, crabgrass, Dennis Reginelli, farm, farming, forage, grass, hay, herbicide, Jay McCurdy, Mississippi State University Extension Service, pesticide, pink snow mold, rain, stem maggot, turf, Weather

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI Turf and forage producers in Mississippi need fewer clouds and more sunshine.

In 2014, forage producers raised an estimated 600,000 acres of hay across the state. There are about 60 farms producing sod for sale in the state.

Turf production

The unusually harsh winter melted into a cool, wet spring and summer, which slowed spring growth and intensified diseases and last falls herbicide injury in sod, said Jay McCurdy, turf grass specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

The northern part of the state fared the worst this season, with temperatures dipping below 10 degrees in many areas, said McCurdy, who is also an assistant professor in the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Even coastal areas experienced temperatures in the teens. In shaded areas and on north-facing slopes, we lost a lot of grass.

Disease pressure increased and fungi, such as pink snow mold, were prominent this spring. Pink snow mold is caused by Microdochium nivale, which thrives in cool temperatures and damp conditions.

Delayed crabgrass germination reduced pre-emergence herbicide effectiveness, McCurdy said.

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Weather, armyworms challenge turf and forage producers