DTM*4000 Turf Management III

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The following description is for the course offering in Winter 2023 and is subject to change. It is provided for information only. The course outline distributed to the class at the beginning of the semester describes the course content and delivery, and defines the methods and criteria to be used in establishing the final grades for the course.
 

This course emphasizes the differences between abiotic and biotic stressors and their management. The course reinforces the principles of integrated pest management and focuses on how environmental conditions, management practices and turfgrass biology impact playability and survival of turfgrasses.

This course acts as a capstone course meant to bring together concepts learned in previous courses within the program. The focus of the material is to discuss sustainable management of turfgrass systems through the principles of integrated pest management. Following this course, students will have a better understanding of the various biotic and abiotic stressors that affect turfgrass plants, how to diagnose issues on site, and how to manage turfgrass sustainably using best management practices.

Pre-Requisites: DTM*3000, DTM*3200, DTM*3300

Restricted to Associate Diploma students in the Turfgrass Management program.

Instructors:

Eric M. Lyons

Teaching Assistant:

Griffin Bailey gbailey@uoguelph.ca By appointment

Credit Weight:

0.50

Course Level:

  • Diploma

Academic Department (or campus):

Department of Plant Agriculture

Campus:

Guelph

Semester Offering:

  • Winter

Class Schedule and Location:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for class schedule and location.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to:
  1. Explain biotic and abiotic stresses in turfgrass systems as they affect and are affected by management practices.
  2. Implement best management practices for turf management through an integrated approach.
  3. Explain the concept of integrated pest management (IPM) in detail and develop an IPM program on any turfgrass site.
  4. Display an understanding of epidemiology as it related to disease development and pest modeling and preventative management.
  5. Write a comprehensive paper based on information from published literature and lecture material.
  6. Integrate information from previous courses with this one to solve complex issues a variety of turfgrass sites.
 
 

Lecture Content:

Topics to be covered*:
  • Review of weeds, insects and diseases
  • Nematodes and epidemiology
  • Abiotic stressors
  • Winterizing turf
  • Introduction to IPM
  • IPM of weeds, insects and diseases
  • Developing technologies and IPM plan implementation
  • Southern grasses

* Topics for both lecture and labs may change as the semester progresses

Labs & Seminars:
Labs to be covered*:
  • Build-a-green
  • Math review
  • Nematodes and nematode extractions
  • Fungicide lab 
  • Diagnostic case study
  • Water movement in soil
  • IPM project presentations 
  • Build-a-green presentations and judging 
 
* Topics for both lecture and labs may change as the semester progresses

Course Assignments and Tests:

Test or Assignment Contribution to Final Mark Learning Outcomes Assessed

Weekly Quizzes

30%

1, 2, 3, 4

Lab Activities

7.5%

1, 6

Fungicide lab report

5%

1

IPM Project

12.5%

2, 3, 5, 6

Build-a-Green-Lab

20%

6

Final Exam

25%

 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

 

Final examination:

Please consult WebAdvisor for information on final exam.

Course Resources:

Required Texts:

There are no required texts for this course.

Recommended Texts:

OMAFRA Publication 845: Integrated Pest Management for Turf - www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub845/p845order.htm

Lab Manual:

There are no manuals for the lab.

Other Resources:
CourseLink (Website) https://courselink.uoguelph.ca
Lectures presented in PowerPoint as well as quiz keys and additional material can all be found on CourseLink.
Field Trips:

N/A

Additional costs:

N/A

Course Policies:

Make Ups, Missed Deadlines: 

All work is expected on the date due.  Late work will be accepted up to five days late with a 5% grade reduction per business day.

If any exams must be missed for professional development, religious or personal reasons, arrangements must be made with the instructor BEFORE the scheduled date of the exam.  Any exams missed due to emergencies or illness may be made up only if appropriate documentation is provided.

Any quizzes that are to be missed due to previous commitments or registration with SAS can be taken at an alternative time, as long as arrangements are made with the instructor BEFORE each quiz date. Any quizzes missed as a result of a documented illness can be made up with approval of the instructor.

Course Policy on Group Work:
Most of the labs will be conducted in groups. The fungicide lab, IPM project and Build-a-green lab report will be submitted as group reports. However, the diagnostic lab and water movement lab reports will be turned in as individual reports. For the group projects, in order to ensure that each member is involved, you will be asked to grade your group members on their involvement as part of the assignment. Each individual group member’s grade will be based on the group grade as well as the results of the assessments from other group members. The assessment sheet can be found on CourseLink.
Course Policy regarding use of electronic devices and recording of lectures:

Electronic recording of classes is expressly forbidden without consent of the instructor. When recordings are permitted they are solely for the use of the authorized student and may not be reproduced, or transmitted to others, without the express written consent of the instructor.

Other Course Information:

Dropbox Submissions
Assignments should be submitted electronically via the online Dropbox tool. When submitting your assignments using the Dropbox tool, do not leave the page until your assignment has successfully uploaded. To verify that your submission was complete, you can view the submission history immediately after the upload to see which files uploaded successfully. The system will also email you a receipt. Save this email receipt as proof of submission. Be sure to keep a back-up copy of all of your assignments in the event that they are lost in transition. In order to avoid any last-minute computer problems, your instructor strongly recommend you save your assignments to a cloud-based file storage (e.g., OneDrive), or send to your email account, so that should something happen to your computer, the assignment could still be submitted on time or re-submitted.
 
It is your responsibility to submit your assignments on time as specified on the Schedule. Be sure to check the technical requirements and make sure you have the proper computer, that you have a supported browser, and that you have reliable Internet access. Remember that technical difficulty is not an excuse not to turn in your assignment on time. Don’t wait until the last minute as you may get behind in your work.
 
If, for some reason, you have a technical difficulty when submitting your assignment electronically, please contact your instructor or CourseLink Support. 

University Policies

Academic Consideration

When you find yourself unable to meet an in-course requirement because of illness or compassionate reasons, please advise the course instructor in writing, with your name, id#, and e-mail contact. See the academic calendar for information on regulations and procedures for Academic Consideration:

Academic Misconduct

The University of Guelph is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and it is the responsibility of all members of the University community, faculty, staff, and students  to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible to prevent academic offences from occurring.

University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that discourages misconduct. Students need to remain aware that instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection. Please note: Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of guilt. Hurried or careless submission of assignments does not excuse students from responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or faculty advisor.

The Academic Misconduct Policy is detailed in the University Calenders:

Accessibility

The University of Guelph is committed to creating a barrier-free environment. Providing services for students is a shared responsibility among students, faculty and administrators. This relationship is based on respect of individual rights, the dignity of the individual and the University community's shared commitment to an open and supportive learning environment. Students requiring service or accommodation, whether due to an identified, ongoing disability or a short-term disability should contact the Student Accessibility Services (SAS), formerly Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD), as soon as possible.

For more information, contact CSD at 519-824-4120 ext. 56208 or email sas@uoguelph.ca or visit the Student Accessibility Services website: http://www.uoguelph.ca/csd/.

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