Product News

Penoxsulam granular weed control for golf courses

Dow AgroSciences has received registration for penoxsulam, a new proprietary molecule that delivers postemergence control of broadleaf weeds in turf at low use rates.

The product was accepted for review and registration under the EPA’s Reduced Risk Pesticide Initiative. The company says it conquers a broad-spectrum of weeds, provides some residual control and can be used on both cool- and warm-season turf. The new active ingredient gives improved control of weeds in granular applications compared to other currently available products.

It will be marketed under the trade name, LockUp specialty herbicide and will be available to distributors as a formulated product alone and in combination with other selective herbicides on fertilizers or straight granules.

Penoxsulam is the first ALS inhibitor formulated on a granule. This mode of action inhibits plant enzyme acetolactate synthase, which is essential for the synthesis of amino acids. Inhibition of amino acid production subsequently inhibits cell division and causes death in susceptible plants.

In trials, university researchers found it provided better results than other granular herbicides and showed activity on susceptible species when applied to wet and dry foliage. It also showed enhanced efficacy on white clover, Virginia buttonweed, dandelion and dollar weed when combined with phenoxy herbicides.

“There are many years of research in the technology behind penoxsulam. This active ingredient brings powerful, consistent control with residual activity and will easily replace the old industry standbys found in favorite three-ways,” said Mark Urbanowski, marketing specialist. “Superintendents will value combinations containing LockUp for use in roughs and fairways; and weed control and fertilization in the same application will offer time savings as well.”
In addition to the weeds listed above, penoxsulam also controls a wide variety of other weeds, including but not limited to sedge weeds, ground ivy, chickweed, oxalis, bittercress, pigweed, kyllinga, sagebrush, Florida betony and broadleaf plantain. It is labeled for use on most cool- and warm-season turf, including St. Augustinegrass.

Dow AgroSciences has also developed a liquid formulation of penoxsulam, Sapphire specialty herbicide, for use and sale as a stand-alone product for key problem weeds, such as English lawn daisy found on golf courses in California and the Pacific Northwest. Contact http://www.dowagro.com/.

GPS system improves course maintenance efficiency

GolfTracker, a GPS golf course management tracking system, has released its new stand-alone system: GolfTracker Equipment Manager 1.0.  This sophisticated system helps golf course managers maximize the efficiency of their equipment and personnel through the use of GPS technology and detailed, web-based reporting.

“The most valuable feature of a golf course GPS system is the management capability it provides,” said Jamey Lewis, vice president of marketing.  “You can drive enormous efficiencies with these systems.” 

Until now, however, robust GPS tracking systems have been prohibitively expensive for all but the richest golf courses.  Unless a golf facility was willing to invest in cart-mounted GPS monitors, the golf facility could not track a single piece of their equipment.  According to GolfTracker, while the expensive systems make sense for the player, the tracking ability that comes with it is an invaluable tool to any golf course manager.

GolfTracker has now introduced tracking ability at a fraction of the cost of traditional GPS systems.  The GolfTracker GT Equipment Manager 1.0 is said to be the only stand-alone product on the market today. It provides all golf course types with the opportunity to have tracking and reporting capability without the investment required by other GPS systems.

Developed by an operations manager, PGA professional and GCSAA superintendent with more than 35 years of experience, this web-based software promises to be user-friendly as well.  The at-a-glance live tracking feature gives the superintendent an instant look at where all equipment is on the golf course from any available internet connection.  The manager has the option of viewing all of the equipment at once, isolating it to one piece, grouping by equipment type, or grouping by personalized settings.

It produces historical tracking and reporting which allows the manager to analyze the productivity of employees and equipment.  This feature also gives the superintendent the ability to instill quality controls and, potentially, document any damage responsibility, ultimately ensuring that the equipment is being operated to its fullest potential.

The company has also released GT – Marshall 1.0, which gives the golf professional a state-of-the-art tool for managing golf car fleets. GolfTracker was developed by Sport Stats Inc. Contact Ken Rivera at 435-655-5271, ken@slopetracker.com.

Ice and rain sensor handles all precipitation.

New Avionics Corp. has announced a revolutionary new kind of ice detector for use in static-air applications.  Proprietary new technology eliminates all moving parts -- cutting cost, size, weight.

The Ice Meister Model 9734 industrial ice detecting sensor system offers the benefits of ice sensing capability in new applications where it has never been affordable before, or even available--such as irrigation controls for golf courses or agriculture, heliports at hospitals and oil rigs, vehicle dispatch offices, and sprinkler controls.

Once "tuned" for the application at hand, Model 9734 operates as a digital ice/no-ice indicator.  At maximum sensitivities, it detects the incipient formation of any kind of ice, and even senses the condensation from human breath.

At minimum sensitivities, it distinguishes heavy ice from slightly heavier ice.  It detects and "stretches" raindrops for efficient control of irrigation sprinklers, and it detects the point at which rain has turned to ice.  It is ideal for use in hazardous, remote, unattended locations. It offers an optional de-ice heater for system reset.

The system runs from virtually any power source available, of any polarity, including primary batteries, solar panels, six-volt motorcycle batteries; even cell phone chargers, on either AC or DC power.

The unit consists of a sensor head, a cable and an interface board. Available options include a de-ice heater, heavy-duty cable with heavy duty connectors, and heavy duty 100-foot extension cables for severe environments and weatherproof NEMA 4X enclosure box. Contact http://www.newavionics.com/.

Hypro enhances Web site

Visitors to the Hypro Pumps Web site will now have an easier time ordering literature and receiving answers to their spraying applications questions.

Under the Reference Material section users simply enter the quantities of the literature they would like to receive, complete the contact information at the bottom, and transmit the order directly to one of Hypro’s customer service representatives.  Orders will ship, free of charge, with no shipping costs to the customer as they have in the past.

Customers can also upload images directly to the website. Under the Contact Us section, when customers are asking a question or making a request to the customer service, technical support, or service and warranty departments, they can include an image.

These images assist the company in answering questions and filling requests in a faster, more efficient manner.  Images need to be less than 500 KB in size and in a JPG or GIF format.

To visit the upgraded site, log on to www.hypropumps.com.

M-160 rotor offers 164-foot radius

The Mirage M-160, a new super-sized sprinkler with a 164-foot throwing radius designed for sports fields, is now available from Underhill. The piston-driven water cannon is typically mounted on the sidelines and provides full or part-circle operation. Six rotors are capable of irrigating an entire football field from outside the playing area.

The M-160 measures 23.6 inches high and has an above-grade pop-up height of 2 3/4 inches The arc of coverage can be adjusted from 30- to 360-degrees and the rotation speed can be set from 100 to 240 seconds. The M-160 has a 23-degree trajectory.

A range of nozzles from 16 mm to 26 mm is available for efficient water distribution. The M-160 operates at 60 to 120 psi and handles from 96 to 300 gallons per minute.

Underhill’s new Mirage series of sprinklers are designed for use on large turf areas. In addition to the M-160 the series includes the M-115 with 115 feet of coverage and the M-125 with a 125-foot radius.

An optional Underhill 2Wire Decoder system is recommended for use with the M-160 on other sites that are larger than one-half acre. Contact http://www.underhill.us.