Product News

Valent brings new Pythium tool to turf market

Valent Professional Products says its Stellar fungicide for Pythium disease control in turf is now EPA registered.

"Stellar offers a unique approach to Pythium control through its synergistic premix,” Jill Calabro Valent turf pathologist said. "It combines fluopicolide, a new active ingredient, with the proven Pythium product propamocarb.”

The dual active ingredients in Stellar also allow superintendents to use a single product for Pythium control.

The company says it can be an important part of superintendents’ resistance management program. In a 2007 Valent survey, 92 percent of superintendents consider a new mode of action essential in fungicide resistance management. For more visit http://www.valentpro.com/stellar.

John Deere Golf introduces Precisioncut mowers

John Deere Golf has a new line of PrecisionCut line of fairway mowers that is says are inspired by customers

"Ultimately our goal is to support our customers with equipment that helps them be successful," said Gregg Breningmeyer, director of sales and marketing, John Deere Golf. "One way we ensure we're providing the right equipment is by listening to what our customers have to say. Their latest feedback – from the need for improved productivity to a more comfortable seat – has been manifested in the PrecisionCut line."

The four PrecisionCut models--7500, 7700, 8500 and 8700--reflect customer input through their power, traction and cut quality, as well as comfort and ease of use. Innovations in the line include more precise steering and a best-in-class hydraulic down-pressure system. And the new Grip all-wheel drive traction system results in improved traction and better hill-climbing ability.

The 7000 series offers a 37.1-horsepower engine and the 8000 series features a 43.1-horsepower engine. The 7500 and 8500 models feature 22-in. standard bedknife-to-reel cutting units with 5-in. diameter reels, a fixed front roller and adjustable reel roller for less aggressiveness at lower cutting heights. The 7700 and 8700 mowers utilize 22-in. ESP cutting units with 7-in. diameter reels. They feature reel-to-bedknife adjustment, adjustable front and rear rollers and a patented Rotate-for-Service system to easily complete those adjustments.

For the most consistent cut height, Fairway Tender Conditioners and rear roller power brushes can be added to all PrecisionCut mowers. The FTC stands up grass prior to cutting and improves cutting dispersal, while the power brush keeps the rear roller clean.

All four mowers feature a servo-controlled hydrostatic drive system that provides increased flow to the traction system for more power and better traction in either two-wheel or all-wheel drive. For increased hill-climbing ability, the exclusive Grip all-wheel drive traction system can be added to any of the mowers. It minimizes wheel slip by routing hydraulic flow from one of the front wheel motors to the opposite rear wheel motor.

BASF introduces Segment herbicide

BASF Turf & Ornamentals has introduced Segment, a grass-selective, post-emergent herbicide.

According to the company, Segment offers selective control of weed problems in centipedegrass, annual bluegrass and established fine and tall fescue turfgrass. It also says the new product is the only post-emergent grass herbicide that can be applied to trees or shrubs at any stage of growth, even at seedling and bud break stages. It can also be tank mixed to control additional weed species, the company adds.

The active ingredient in Segment is sethoxydim, a member of the clyclohexanedione chemical family. It rapidly enters grass plants through the foliage and translocates throughout the weed. This inhibits the biosynthesis of lipids in grass species, including bermudagrass, crabgrass, goosegrass, and more than 25 others. The product is rainfast in one hour. Its application rate is 8 oz. per 1,000 sq. ft. Contact http://www.betterturf.com.

Syngenta's Tenacity gets EPA registration

Tenacity, a new herbicide from Syngenta Professional Products, has received registration from the EPA for use on golf courses and sod farms.

The selective pre- and post-emergence herbicide controls 46 broadleaf weeds and undesired grasses in several cool- and warm-season turfgrasses. Tenacity also can be applied at seeding to reduce weed competition for improved seedling development.

Because its active ingredient, mesotrione, has a favorable environmental fate, environmental toxicity and human health profile when compared to registered alternatives, Tenacity was granted reduced-risk status by the EPA.

Mesotrione provides systemic pre- and post-emergence control of such weeds as crabgrass, chickweed, clover and yellow nutsedge and such grasses as bentgrass and nimblewill. The herbicide has been tested and proven acceptable on Kentucky bluegrass, centipedegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, St. Augustinegrass and fine fescue. Contact http://www.syngentaprofessionalproducts.com.

Underhill's HoseTap facilitates hand watering

HoseTap, a new hose connection device that facilitates hand watering on golf courses, is now available from Underhill International.

HoseTap can be used anywhere on a course where a Toro or Rain Bird electric valve-in-head sprinkler is installed and quick couplers or hose bibs are not available.

Course crews can tap into an irrigation line by removing the sprinkler internal assembly and setting the HoseTap directly into the snap ring. The HoseTap connects to a hose with a brass swivel.

The device is available in three models: HN-T100 for all Toro 1-inch inlet golf sprinklers; HN-T150 for all Toro 1.51-inch inlet golf rotors; and HN-R125 for all Rain Bird Eagle 700 Series golf sprinklers. Each device includes a precision metal disc, o-ring and riser. A brass hose swivel is sold separately.

The body color-coded (red or green) anodized aircraft aluminum for easy manufacturer identification and will not break or wear like plastic. Contact http://www.underhill.us.

Storm launches water-saving irrigation controller

Storm Manufacturing Group Inc., manufacturer of the Superior line of irrigation controllers, has introduced the Sterling ET with flow control, which is designed to utilize several communication management technologies.

The Sterling ET with Flow Control accurately release the amount of water needed, without over or under watering. The controller uses data sources to monitor real-time weather conditions and adjusts its watering schedule appropriately.

It can accommodate Water2Save, a cellular-based communication service and Weather Reach, a signal-based communication receiver. With subscription or purchase, the two services regularly update the controller with weather data and allow users to access it through the Internet or a cell phone.
 
“Our controller coupled with these progressive management services is a step forward in changing the way irrigation water is managed,” said Mike Ray, vice president of Storm Manufacturing Group. “The Sterling ET with Flow Control will help consumers significantly cut their water use, saving them hundreds or thousands of dollars each year.”
 
Water2Save is a water and energy conservation company based out of Solana Beach, Calif. The company operates a data center server that remotely adjusts a controller’s watering schedule based on forecasted and actual weather measurements.
 
Weather Reach is a water management service provided by Irrisoft, Inc. The service provides a receiver that uses broadcast weather data from local weather stations to calculate and adjust the watering schedule. Contact http://www.stormind.com, 800-210-2525.