PEE DEE FARM FIELD DAY - AUGUST 12, 2008

Join us as the Pee Dee Research and Education Center hosts the Pee Dee Farm Field Day. Events and/or topics include:

Demonstrations
Research Activities
Presentations
Insect & Disease Management
Weed Control
Pesticide Safety
Marketing
Biofuels
Wildlife
Irrigation
Drought Response
Field Crops
Outdoor Education
Trail Tours and more

Morning tours of turfgrass, cotton, soybean, corn, peanuts, muscadines, tobacco, bio-fuels and switchgrass operation begin at 9:00 A.M.Tours inclue a picnic lunch, followed by optional indoor afternoon workshops for pesticide recertification and CCA Credits.

Site Tours

Tour One: Turf Programs

The turf program will have two sessions:
the first session (~8:30-10) targets GC superintendents, and
the second session (~10-11:30) targets sod producers.
Each session will only be presented once.

We’ll have the following stops in the first (golf) session (5-10 minutes each):
Utilizing alternative water sources and applications for growing bermudagrass – Kelsey Gorman
Impacts of irrigation with saline water on the biology of insect pests – Juang-Horng’ JC’ Chong
Investigating interactions of surfactants and fungicides for turf quality – Dara Park
Dollar spot disease control trials - Bruce Martin
Brown patch disease control trials – Bruce Martin
Bentgrass summer disease control programs – Bruce Martin
Bermudagrass summer disease control programs – Bruce Martin
Seashore paspalum cultivars for putting greens – Bruce Martin
Fairy ring control in bermudagrass putting greens – Bruce Martin
Grow-in of MiniVerde putting green – Bruce Martin
Management of fire ants – JH Chong

The second (sod farm) session will have the following presentations (10-15 minutes each):
Common diseases of turf – Bruce Martin
Common insects of turf – Juang-Horng Chong
Common weeds of turf - Bruce Martin & Dara Park
Cultural management and the use of variable rate irrigation in turfgrass production – Dara Park
The economics of turfgrass production (tentative) - TBA
Exhibition: sod production machineries (tentative) - TBA

Presenters

Juang-Horng ‘JC’ Chong (J.C.)
Assistant Professor

Department of Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences

JC joined Clemson University in April 2007 as a Turf & Ornamental Entomologist with research and extension responsibilities. JC received his BS degree from University of Arizona and MS and PhD degrees from University of Georgia. His research focuses on the integrative management of insects and mites damaging turfgrass and ornamental plants.

Kelsey Gorman
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Horticulture


Kelsey, a native of Lexington, SC, earned his BS degree in Biology from Francis Marion University in 1993. After serving as an Environmental Quality Manager with the SC Dept. Health & Environmental Control and an officer in the US Coast Guard, Kelsey returns to graduate school and studies under Dara Park. Kelsey’s research program investigates the response of bermudagrass toto saline water delivered by sub-surface drip irrigation.


S. Bruce Martin
Professor and Interim Center Director
Department of Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences

Bruce is a Turfgrass Plant Pathologist and currently has research, extension, teaching and administrative responsibilities. Bruce received his BS degree from Hendrix College, MS degree from University of Arkansas, and PhD degree from North Carolina State University. His research and extension efforts focus on plant diseases and nematodes in turfgrass.

Dara M. Park
Assistant Professor
Department of Horticulture

Before joining Clemson University Turfgrass Program in November 2006, Dara received her BS and MS degrees from Florida Atlantic University and PhD degree from University of Florida. Her research and extension programs focus on water and soil management in turfgrass systems.

Tour Two: Cotton/Soybean

Moderator: Mike Jones

Stop 1: Soybean Breeding/Varieties: Emerson Shipe
Stop 2: Soybean Rust, Diseases/Cotton Nematodes: John Mueller
Stop 3: USDA Cotton Program at PDREC: Todd Campbell & Phil Bauer
Stop 4: Cotton Variety Trial/Stand Reduction Trial/PGR’s: Mike Jones
Stop 5: Cotton/Soybean Weed Control: David Gunter & Mike Marshall

Tour Three

Moderator: Dewitt Gooden

Muscadine grapes
Jodie Martin – Muscadine grape culture in South Carolina

Corn
Pawel Wiatrak - Using nitrogen strips and optical sensing technology to improve side-dress N application in corn.

Dewey Barefield Jr. - Corn variety / irrigation trial

Peanuts
David Gunter and Jay Chapin - Peanut variety trial

Tobacco
Dewitt Gooden- Regional tobacco variety development, growth regulator and curing efficiency trials

Bruce Fortnum, (Dewitt Gooden) Regional disease evaluation testing program. Bacterial wilt control using a Clemson University re-engineered topper and harvester

Francis Reay-Jones and Albert Johnson
Biological control of insects through host plant resistance, Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus control and information on new chemical controls of insects

Moderator: Dewitt Gooden

Tour Four

Moderator: TJ Savereno

Stop 1: Biofuels/ Switchgrass: Jim Frederick

Stop 2: Switchgrass Variety Trials: Jim Frederick

Stop 3: W.H.I.P. Wildlife Conservation Practices: T.J. Savereno

Stop 4: Longleaf Pine Restoration: T.J. Savereno

Stop 5: Outdoor Education Trail: Jim Frederick

Directions to Pee Dee Research & Education Center:

2200 Pocket Road, Florence

Via US 301 Westbound
Turn right on Hwy 327 as you approach Florence. After you go over I-95, make your first left (about 500 ft from I-95) onto Pocket Road. Travel 2.5 miles and the entrance to the Center is well marked on the right.

Via I-95 Southbound
Take exit 169 off of I-95. Turn right onto TV Road and travel 0.8 miles away from Florence. Turn left on Pocket Road and travel 1.3 miles. The entrance to the Center is well marked on the right.

Via I-20, US 52, or I-95 Northbound
If on I-20 or US 52, turn north on I-95. Take exit 169 off of I-95. Turn left onto TV Road and travel 0.9 miles away from Florence. Turn left onto Pocket Road and travel 1.3 miles. The entrance to the Center is well marked on the right.