In 2014, Brian McDonald was awarded the industry funded OSU Turf Technician position ($75,000 per year) provided by the following donors: Oregon Turfgrass Foundation, Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association, Oregon Golf Association (for a combined $50,000 annually), Bandon Dunes Resort ($10,000 annually), Turf Merchants, Inc. ($10,000 annually), and Pure Seed Testing, Inc. ($5,000 annually). The OSU Turf Program would like to thank these generous donors by documenting the progress achieved by the OSU Turf Technician in 2014 and 2015 with the following report.

Extension and Outreach:

• Stakeholders Reached: 1,743
• Presentations: 22

Brian is an active member of the OSU Turf Extension program regularly speaking to stakeholder group such as the golf course employees, pesticide applicators, public school grounds employees, and parks and recreation department employees.

Scholarship:

• Scientific Presentations: 7
• International Presentations: 5
• Peer Review Publications: 6
• Scientific Abstracts: 5
• Proceedings and Popular Press Articles: 21

Brian has been, and continues to be, a critical component to the scholastic achievements within the OSU Turf Program. He has served as an author and coauthor for scientific and industry publications and presentation on a state, regional, nation and international level.

Course Laboratory Technician:

• Principles of Turfgrass Maintenance (HORT 314)
• Grounds Irrigation (HORT 360)
• Pesticide Applicator Training (HORT 405)
• Golf Course Maintenance (HORT 418) 

Brian regularly serves as a teaching assistant for the courses listed above. Teaching responsibilities include, but are not limited to, equipment calibration and training, weekly budgeting laboratories, plant and weed identification, lectures on fungicides, herbicides and nozzle selection.

Notable Research Projects in 2014 and 2015:

Brian McDonald has been heavily involved in the following competitive grants listed below (1-8). He has drafted proposals, maintained plots, applied treatments, collected and analyzed data, and drafted reports for these projects. Brian has also been responsible for another 42 industry funded projects (not shown), which include, but are not limited to fertilizer, fungicide, herbicide, and wetting agent development and assessment.

1: BIO-CONTROL AGENT FOR PRE-EMERGENCE CONTROL OF ANNUAL BLUEGRASS

Objective: Evaluate the pre-emergence effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens WH6 on weed germination in established perennial ryegrass.

Funding Source: Agricultural Research Foundation

2: FUNGICIDE ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR MICRODOCHIUM PATCH

Objective: Evaluate the Effects of Alternatives to Traditional Fungicides (such as rolling, fertility, crop oil, pigments, and wetting agents) for Control of the Microdochium patch.

Funding Sources: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association (OGCSA), Northwest Turf Association (NTA), and Western Canada Turf Association (WCTA).

3: EFFECTS OF SULFUR, CALCIUM SOURCE, AND PH ON MICRODOCHIUM PATCH

Objective: Determine if sulfur applied with and without various calcium sources can reduce the number of annual fungicide applications necessary to manage Microdochium patch

Funding Source: United States Golf Association (USGA)

4: MOWING DELAY AND PROXY EFFICACY ON SEED HEAD SUPPRESSION

Objective: Determine if mowing delays prior to and following the application of Proxy will affect the seed head suppression of annual bluegrass during the spring flush.

Funding Source: United States Golf Association (USGA)

5: WINTER FOOT TRAFFIC

Objective: Evaluate the effects of winter foot traffic rates on an annual bluegrass putting green in Corvallis, OR.

Funding Source: United States Golf Association (USGA)

6: NATIONAL LOW INPUT COOL-SEASON TRIAL

Objective: Evaluate the seasonal tolerance and quality of various cool-season turfgrass genus and species with minimal inputs (monthly mowing, and no irrigation or fertilization).

Funding Source: National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP)

7: NATIONAL FINE FESCUE TRAFFIC TRIAL

Objective: Evaluate the traffic tolerance of commercially available and experimental fine fescue (creeping, chewings, sheep, slender and hard fescue) cultivars.

Funding Source: National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP)

8: NATIONAL PERENNIAL RYEGRASS TRIAL

Objective: Evaluate the health and quality of commercially available and experimental perennial ryegrass cultivars.

Funding Source: National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP)