Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) is a warm-season halophyte with excellent salt tolerance after establishment. In areas which require overseeding, there is a need for a cool-season counterpart suitable for over-seeding. The goal of this field research is to evaluate a year-round turfgrass system for saline conditions using perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans), and a combination of perennial ryegrass and Puccinellia as the cool-season grasses. In the summer months, paspalum quality and density were reduced when overseeded with ryegrass or with a combination of puccinellia and ryegrass. Ryegrass quality and density decreased slightly as irrigation water salinity was increased from 0 to 3000 to 6000 mg/L. In addition, the percentage of cover by overseeded ryegrass decreased significantly when 6000 mg/L irrigation water was applied. Puccinellia was much more sensitive to salinity than ryegrass and overall quality, turf density, and percent cover by puccinellia were greatly reduced by addition of salt. However, in the absence of added salt, puccinellia quality, percent cover, density, and color were generally greater than that of ryegrass. The puccinellia/ryegrass overseed mixture generally performed intermediate relative to either grass alone.

Application of Certainty*, Manor*, Monument*, Revolver*, TranXit, Kerb*, and flazasulfuron in early June eliminated most ryegrass in one month with the onset of high summer temperatures. Certainty at 0.06 lb a.i./A, Manor at 0.012 lb a.i./A, Monument at 0.0047 lb a.i./A, Revolver at 0.008 lb a.i./A, TranXit at 0.0078 lb a.i./A, and flazasulfuron at 0.0039 lb a.i./A performed equivalent to higher rates to effectively remove ryegrass when applied in June. The herbicides at the lower rate range were not as effective in early May when ryegrass tended to regrow in cooler temperatures. Spring transition was achieved by applying higher rates of TranXit* at 0.031 lb a.i./A and flazasulfuron at 0.0156 lb a.i./A in early May to completely remove perennial ryegrass. Kerb at 1.0 lb a.i./A was effective in removing 80% of the ryegrass with a May application and 90% in June.

Thirteen herbicide treatments were applied on May 8, 2006, on a golf course fairway to assess transition and turf quality effects. Initial injury to perennial ryegrass was most extreme for Tranxit GTA when applied at 1.0 oz/prod/acre and Katana applied at 2.0 oz/prod/acre. Katana resulted in the total elimination of ryegrass and resulted in a fully necrotic canopy (straw cover) within two weeks after application to July 19, 2006 (72 Days after treatment). The development and persistence of necrotic leaf tissue of perennial ryegrass (straw) had the greatest impact on decreasing overall turfgrass quality ratings. No treatment went through the summer without some loss of quality at some point, including the untreated control. Certainty had little or no effect on transition when applied once at the rate of 1.25 oz/prod/acre. Surflan was not effective in ryegrass transition. The tank mix of Transit and nicosulfuron applied at the rate of 0.25 oz/prod./A each, produced an enhanced transition with nominal quality. In similar fashion, Monument applied at 0.35 oz./A produced an enhanced transition with nominal quality. A rates used in this test, other treatments had either too slow of a transition or had poor and extended low quality turf scores from rapid development of dead ryegrass (straw) and subsequent slow bermudagrass re-establishment. The UTC turf maintained a high percentage of living green ryegrass into the summer and 20% live ryegrass on August 8, 2006 which is roughly six weeks before the next overseeding.

Ethofumesate as an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation (Prograss*) demonstrated slightly more activity against Poa annua, though not statistically significant, than the suspension concentrate (SC) herbicide (PoaConstrictor*). Following two applications, P. annua control was equivalent for Prograss at 0.75 lb a.i./A and PoaConstrictor at 1.0 lb a.i./A at approximately one month later. Late season evaluations showed that Prograss at one-half the rate of PoaConstrictor gave acceptable P. annua control. Both products needed to be applied two times at 2.0 lb a.i./A to achieve better than acceptable P. annua control as spring transition occurred.

Velocity* at 20 g a.i./A provided P. annua control better than at 10 g a.i./A. Velocity at 20 or 30 g a.i./A offered similar P. annua control with a single application. Velocity at 20 g a.i./A with the addition of non-ionic surfactant Latron CS-7* or Primo*, P. annua control was almost similar to that of Prograss* at 80%. Velocity at 10 g a.i./A combinations or at 20 g a.i./A without additives gave less than 75% control.

Firstline® and Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination Systems were monitored at 20 residential home sites in Tucson, Arizona for their ability to control Heterotermes aureus (Snyder) infestations. Firstline® and Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System were each installed at 10 homes. Five of the homes were designated either as curative (having active infestations) or preventative (having no active infestation). During the 2 year study, 3 residents terminated their involvement in the Firstline®, while all of the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System homes remained in the program. Mean number of days to first hit at curative homes was 84 versus 96 for Firstline® and Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System, respectively. Average bait consumption for the Firstline® system was 14% for the curative homes and 10% for the preventative homes. In contrast, the average bait consumption for the Sentricon ® Termite Colony Elimination System was 51% for the curative homes and 58% for the preventative homes, which was significantly different at (P<.05).

Rapid blight is a new disease of cool season turf grasses that has occurred on over a dozen golf courses in Arizona. It is caused by Labyrinthula terrestris, an organism in a group referred to as the marine slime molds. A trial was conducted in fall 2005-winter 2006 to evaluate efficacy of selected fungicides for control of rapid blight at a golf course in central Arizona with a previous history of disease and high salinity irrigation water (about 5 dS/m). Plots were established in late October 2005 on a practice tee on which Bermuda was overseeded with Poa trivialis. Treatments included Insignia and Fore, alone and in combinations; elemental sulfur, potassium sulfate and potassium chloride as pre-plant applications on Bermuda; gypsum, Daconil Zn, Heritage TL, Soil Life and Soil Builder. Disease symptoms appeared immediately after the first mowing. Disease ratings at 3 weeks after first mow showed that applications of the high rate of Insignia at first mow and the pre-overseed application of sulfur gave excellent control. Moderate control was shown in applications with early applications of Fore alternated with the lower rate of Insignia, Fore alone, Soil Life, and of the high rate of Insignia combined with Fore applied as a curative at first disease. Treatments with Daconil Zn, Heritage TL, Soil Builder, and preoverseed treatments with potassium sulfate, potassium chloride and gypsum gave little or no control compared to the untreated control. At 10 weeks after first mow, treatments with Insignia and the high rate of sulfur were still effective but all other treatments were either marginal or not different from the untreated control. Results show that applications of Insignia at first mow are effective for severe early season disease, and extended intervals of Insignia applications give effective long term control. Results also show that treatments of Bermudagrass with elemental sulfur reduced disease dramatically indicating that preventive chemical applications before overseeding may be possible.

Sulfosulfuron, imazaquin, and halosulfuron applied beginning in May exhibited a high degree of nutsedge control from August to the end of September. Late spring initiated applications of imazaquin, sulfosulfuron, and trifloxysulfuron gave consistent nutsedge control that was better than 85% for most of the rating dates through the summer. Halosulfuron and flazasulfuron tended to decline in nutsedge control efficacy about one month after applications. The summer timing series of three monthly applications that began in July showed that sulfosulfuron and trifloxysulfuron provided an average of better than 90% nutsedge control throughout the summer. Applications of all herbicides in May caused ryegrass injury. Halosulfuron applications initiated in May were marginally safer on overseeded ryegrass while providing a moderate degree of nutsedge control. Bermudagrass was very slow to recover and to achieve full cover in sulfosulfuron and imazaquin treated plots.

The treatments that included 2,4-D, mecoprop, and dicamba effectively controlled burclover and malva in the dormant bermudagrass turf. The addition of carfentrazone to the hormonal herbicides (Speedzone*) appeared to enhance malva control earlier than the other treatments. Surge* containing sulfentrazone with hormonal herbicides gave the highest degree of malva control. Fluroxypyr (Spotlight*) was not effective against burclover and showed moderate control of malva in this test.

Sulfosulfuron showed the highest degree of nutsedge control after the first application among all of the treatments at 4 WAT. Nutsedge control began to decline at 6 WAT after a single application of sulfosulfuron. Halosulfuron, trifloxysulfuron, and penoxulam showed very good nutsedge control at 2 WAT after a second application was made. Trifloxysulfuron at 0.026 lb AI/A and penoxulam at 0.125 lb AI/A performed very similarly to halosulfuron at 0.047 and 0.062 lb AI/A. Halosulfuron and flazasulfuron were more effective at higher rates of application when a series of rates were compared. Halosulfuron at 0.047 and 0.062 lb AI/A were very similar at most rating dates and both rates gave acceptable nutsedge control of 86 to 88% control at the end of the season. The two highest rates of flazasulfuron at 0.023 and 0.047 lb AI/A gave almost acceptable control. Sulfentrazone was not effective in providing acceptable nutsedge control at the rate tested.