IPM Training for Staff
Jun 1, 2011
At a minimum, the IPM Agent and all staff responsible for pest control applications and scouting/monitoring should receive annual training. It makes sense to train the people in advance of the IPM activities they conduct, such as calibration, scouting and applying products.
The IPM Accreditation Program lists the following “Recommended Topics". Beside each are examples of topic discussion:
- IPM fundamentals – relation of host, pest and environment, soil science, mowing regime, fertilizer use, interpreting soil and tissue tests
- Cultural practices – soil structure improvement, drainage and soil moisture management, over-seeding, topdressing, thatch management
- Equipment operation – proper spray patterns, calibration, proper technique for rolling and mowing
- Disease identification – scouting for disease, using diagnostic labs, symptoms and signs on the foliage and roots, Syngenta’s www.greencast.ca site and IPM Modules, use of predictive models
- Insect pest identification – monitoring, traps, using identification tools such as books and keys, use of predictive models
- Plant identification (grasses, weeds) - difference between common turfgrass species, weed identification at various stages of development, use of predictive models.
The following is a list of additional topics suggested by Syngenta:
The following is a list with links to the IPM Training Modules created by Syngenta that the golf course can use for staff training.
Module 1: Identification of Anthracnose
Module 2: Monitoring for Spring Diseases
Module 3: Identification of Dollar Spot
Module 4: Prediction and Identification of Pythium Foliar Blight
Module 5: Management of Ants on Golf Courses
Module 6: Identification and Monitoring of Annual Bluegrass Weevil