The Lack of Knowledge on the Microbiome of Golf Turfgrasses Impedes the Development of Successful Microbial Products

Golf courses have a significant environmental impact. High water demands and the intensive use of agricultural chemicals have been a concern for decades and are therefore in the focus of efforts to make golf courses more environmentally sustainable. Products based on modifying or using plant-associated microbiota are one of the fastest-growing sectors in agriculture, but their application on turfgrasses on golf courses is so far negligible. In this review, we summarize the limited knowledge on microbiomes of golf turf ecosystems and show that the lack of holistic studies addressing the structure and function of golf turf microbiomes, including their responses to intense turf management procedures, is currently the main bottleneck for development and improvement of reliable, well-functioning microbial products. We further highlight the endosphere of turfgrasses, which is easily accessible for microbial cultivation through constant mowing, as the most stable and protected micro-environment. Many grass species do possess endophytic bacteria and fungi that have been shown to improve the plants’ resistance towards microbial pathogens and insect pests, and several products using endophyte-enhanced grass varieties are commercially successful. We anticipated that this trend would tee-off on golf courses, too, once a more comprehensive understanding of golf turf microbiomes is available.

A Golf Course Quality Scale (GCQS): Validity and Reliability Testing on Spanish Golf Courses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties, in terms of validity and reproducibility, of the Golf Course Quality Scale (GCQS) in the Spanish golf course context. The GCQS is a scale that measures the quality of a golf course perceived by its users. It is comprised of 22 five-point Likert scale items, ranging from 1 (disagree) to 5 (totally agree). The items were grouped into five dimensions: services, etiquette, facilities, golf courses, and staff. A translated and adapted version of the Australian CQS questionnaire was administered to a total of 401 federated golf players in the Region of Murcia (RM). The margin of error was 4.9% with a confidence level of 95%. Of the total sample, 88.5% were men and 11.5% were women. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 80 (M = 54.1, SD = 14.3). Following an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to determine the suitability of the proposed items and the factorial structure of the scale, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed using structural equations under the maximum likelihood extraction method. This assessed the fit of the model and its internal consistency, with values above 0.79. In conclusion, the validity and reliability of this psychometric scale for the purposes of evaluating the quality of golf courses perceived by their users have been verified. The results confirm that the scale is a useful tool for golf course research and management.

Making sense of sewage sludge as a renewable resource in the urban U.S.

Prior to industrialization, human excrement was commonly employed as a resource for agricultural fertilization. Following the advent of the hydraulic sanitation system, however, it became increasingly channeled into waterways rather than reincorporated into terrestrial agro-ecosystems. To counter this trend, more and more industrial cities are seeking to utilize treated sanitation waste, or “biosolids,” as a renewable resource that can be applied as a soil amendment in urban recreational settings, including parks, gardens, and golf courses. This article examines how the use of biosolids in the American city of Chicago comes to “make sense”—experientially, economically, and ecologically—to users and wastewater experts. Furthermore, it considers how sanitation infrastructures, social norms, and safety concerns both contour and constrain such usage. Ultimately, this article identifies how direct sensorial experiences (particularly of odors or their absence) as well as notions of economic and ecological “good sense” contribute to the social acceptability of biosolids usage. However, contaminants of emerging concern that are barely perceptible in sanitation waste raise more profound questions about the challenges of urban sustainability in this period known as late industrialism.

The Lack of Knowledge on the Microbiome of Golf Turfgrasses Impedes the Development of Successful Microbial Products

Golf courses have a significant environmental impact. High water demands and the intensive use of agricultural chemicals have been a concern for decades and are therefore in the focus of efforts to make golf courses more environmentally sustainable. Products based on modifying or using plant-associated microbiota are one of the fastest growing sectors in agriculture, but their application on turfgrasses on golf courses is so far negligible. In this review, we summarize the limited knowledge on microbiomes of golf turf ecosystems and show that the lack of holistic studies addressing structure and function of golf turf microbiomes, including their responses to intense turf management procedures, is currently the main bottleneck for development and improvement of reliable, well-functioning microbial products. We further highlight the endosphere of turfgrasses, which is easily accessible for microbial cultivation through constant mowing, as the most stable and protected micro-environment. Many grass species do possess endophytic bacteria and fungi that have shown to improve the plants’ resistance towards microbial pathogens and insect pests, and several products using endophyte-enhanced grass varieties are commercially successful. We anticipated that this trend would tee-off on golf courses, too, once a more comprehensive understanding of golf turf microbiomes is available.

A Slice of Tourism: The Nature, Dimensions and Geographies of International Golf Tourism in New Zealand

<p>Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world and for New Zealand it is the most important industry along with dairy. Of the 2.5 million tourists who visit New Zealand each year, it is estimated that around 65,000 (3%) of visitors will play at least one game of golf while in the country. New Zealand’s profile as a golfing destination has increased in recent years and now boasts a number of the worlds top ranked courses. This, along with the low cost of playing golf in New Zealand has made it an attractive golfing destination. This thesis aims to gain a greater insight into the nature and dimensions of the golf tourism industry in New Zealand and of those who visit. This research was conducted through a range of interviews with 19 stakeholders in the golf tourism industry, as well as a golfer’s questionnaire to which 44 international visitors responded. This research has found that international golf tourism plays an important role for many golf courses throughout New Zealand and the number of visitors is on the rise. These visitors tend to be wealthier and spend more money than the average tourist during their stay and so the benefits of increasing this market go beyond what is spent on the golf course alone. However, New Zealand must first overcome a number of barriers if international golf tourism is to reach its full potential. The key barriers to growth are New Zealand’s geographic isolation, the large distances between New Zealand’s top courses, competition from other golfing destinations and a lack of marketing to increase the awareness of New Zealand as a golfing destination.</p>

A Slice of Tourism: The Nature, Dimensions and Geographies of International Golf Tourism in New Zealand

<p>Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world and for New Zealand it is the most important industry along with dairy. Of the 2.5 million tourists who visit New Zealand each year, it is estimated that around 65,000 (3%) of visitors will play at least one game of golf while in the country. New Zealand’s profile as a golfing destination has increased in recent years and now boasts a number of the worlds top ranked courses. This, along with the low cost of playing golf in New Zealand has made it an attractive golfing destination. This thesis aims to gain a greater insight into the nature and dimensions of the golf tourism industry in New Zealand and of those who visit. This research was conducted through a range of interviews with 19 stakeholders in the golf tourism industry, as well as a golfer’s questionnaire to which 44 international visitors responded. This research has found that international golf tourism plays an important role for many golf courses throughout New Zealand and the number of visitors is on the rise. These visitors tend to be wealthier and spend more money than the average tourist during their stay and so the benefits of increasing this market go beyond what is spent on the golf course alone. However, New Zealand must first overcome a number of barriers if international golf tourism is to reach its full potential. The key barriers to growth are New Zealand’s geographic isolation, the large distances between New Zealand’s top courses, competition from other golfing destinations and a lack of marketing to increase the awareness of New Zealand as a golfing destination.</p>

First Report of Summer Patch of Creeping Bentgrass Caused by Magnaporthiopsis poae in Southeastern China

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) is an important cool-season perennial turfgrass that has been widely used on golf courses across China. In July 2017, an unknown disease outbreak caused damages on seven of the 18 putting greens of creeping bentgrass at Jiuqiao golf club in Hangzhou city of Zhejiang province, day-time high temperatures were consistently above 35°C during the disease development. Symptoms appeared in tan irregular patches of 5 to 20-cm diameter, exhibiting chlorosis and foliar dieback in most part. Necrotic roots were frequently observed in diseased areas and colonized with ectotrophic hyphae under a microscope. Similar symptoms and signs were reported on creeping bentgrass caused by Magnaporthiopsis poae (Landschoot & Jackson) J. Luo & N. Zhang on golf courses in Beijing (Hu et al. 2017). Fifteen disease samples were collected from seven putting greens. Dark root tips were cut, surface sterilized in 0.6% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for 5 min, washed twice with sterilized water, air dried for 1 min and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing each of 50 mg L-1 ampicillin, streptomycin sulfate, and tetracycline. Plates were incubated in the dark at room temperature for 4 days, and 10 fungal isolates with similar morphology as described by Clarke and Gould (1993) were consistently recovered from the diseased root tips. DNA of two representative isolates was extracted and amplified with primers ITS 5/ITS 4 (White et al. 1990). PCR products were sequenced (deposited in GenBank as MZ895215 and MZ895216), and BLAST analysis showed 99.17% similarity to M. poae (accession number: DQ528765). Six plastic pots (15 cm height × 15 cm top diameter × 10 cm bottom diameter, three replicates for each isolate) were seeded with creeping bentgrass and placed in the greenhouse for two months of plant growth before inoculation. The pathogenic inoculum was prepared by inoculating autoclaved oat seeds with M. poae isolates, followed by two weeks of incubation at 25°C. About 25 mg M. poae-infested oat seeds were placed 10 cm below the soil surface in the root zone of creeping bentgrass. Non-infested oat seeds were inoculated on healthy creeping bentgrass as controls. Pots were placed in a growth chamber with a 12-h day/night cycle at 35/28°C and watered daily to keep high soil moisture. Disease symptoms (foliar dieback and necrotic roots) were noted 3 weeks after inoculation. M. poae was consistently recovered from the roots of inoculated turf and identified molecularly as described above, fulfilling Koch’s postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of summer patch on creeping bentgrass caused by M. poae in southeastern China. This research demonstrates a wider distribution of M. poae and will be an important step towards the development of management strategies for summer patch control in China.

Potensi dan Masalah Kawasan Pesisir Desa Sigarpenjalin Sebagai Kawasan Strategis Kabupaten Lombok Utara

Sektor pariwisata pada era otonomi daerah sekarang ini hanya semata-mata untuk meningkatkan Pendapatan Asli Daerah. Fenomena ini sering terjadi di dalam pengembangan dan perencanaan kawasan terutama kawasan yang berada di wilayah pesisir, sehingga perlunya penelitian ini untuk mengkaji lebih dalam terhadap potensi dan masalah yang ada di Desa Singar Penjalin, sehingga pentingnya penelitian ini untuk melihat potensi dan masalah pada kondisi fisik kawasan baik secara fisik dasar maupun fisik binaan. Metodologi penelitiaan ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kwalitatif. Dari hasil yang ditemukan bahwa Kawasan Desa Singgar Penjalin merupakan kawasan pintu masuk kawasan Administrasi Perkotaan Tanjung yang melintang dari luar menuju kawasan pusat pemerintahan dengan beberapa kegiatan pariwisata dan fasilitas penunjang seperti hotel, kafe dan lapangan Golf, sudah memiliki arah pengembangan sebagai kawasan pariwisata dalam peraturan daerahnya, topografi yang variatif berpotensi memberikan atraktif sebagai kawasan wisata serta jenis tanah yang cocok sebagai fungsi pertanian. Ketidak jelasan pola pengembangan kawasan terlihat banyaknya alis fungsi lahan yang besar, susahnya mengidentifikasi kawasan akibat dari kurang kuatnya penanda kawasan dan citra sebagai ciri khas kawasan, pemanfaatan dan pembangunan fisik di area sempadan pantai yang merupakan kawasan lindung, serta akses yang masih kurang baik menuju kawasan wisata sepanjang pantai di Desa Sigar Penjalin.Abstract: The tourism sector in the current era of regional autonomy is only to increase Regional Original Income. This phenomenon often occurs in regional development and planning, especially areas located in coastal areas, so the need for this research is to examine more deeply the potential and problems that exist in Singar Penjalin Village, so the importance of this research is to see the potential and problems in the physical condition of the area. both basic physical and built physical. This research methodology uses a qualitative descriptive approach. From the results, it was found that the Singgar Penjalin Village Area is the entrance area of the Tanjung Urban Administration area that crosses from the outside to the central government area with several tourism activities and supporting facilities such as hotels, cafes and golf courses, already has a development direction asa tourism area in its regional regulations. , the varied topography has the potential to provide attractiveness as a tourist area as well as suitable soil types as agricultural functions. The unclear pattern of regional development can be seen from the large number of eyebrows of land functions, the difficulty of identifying areas as a result of the lack of strong regional markers and images as regional characteristics, physical use and development in the coastal border area which is a protected area, and poor access to the area. along the coast in Sigar Penjalin Village.

Crop Response to Combined Availability of Soil Water and Its Salinity Level: Theory, Experiments and Validation on Golf Courses

The phenomenological expression showing crop yield to be directly dependent on water deficiency, under saline conditions, has encouraged a continued focus on salinity as a viable approach to increase crop yields. This work reassesses crop response to availability of saline soil water ASW in two stages (A) Develop a simple approach suggesting that permanent wilting point (WP) increases under high saline soil water tension and relative yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L., var longifolia Lam., cv. Nevada) and maize (Zea Mays L., cv. Jubilee sweet) decrease. (B) Using a deterministic numerical soil water model to validate the theory on Bermuda grass of golf courses. The experimental plots were established in the North Negev, Israel (Sweet corn) and the Algarve, Portugal (Lettuce and Bermuda grass covering the golf courses). Sprinkler irrigation and line source techniques were used for water application, creating a saline gradient under a precise irrigation water distribution. Two salinity empirical models were tested (Mass and Hoffman MH and van Genuchten–Gupta vGG). Their empirical models were modified and instead of soil electrical conductivity of irrigation water (ECe) we used wilting point (WP) and RASW to follow the changes in relative yield. The validation was conducted with theoretical soil plant atmosphere water (SPAW) to predict the results on golf courses. It is concluded that an alternative S-shaped response model provides better fit to our experimental data sets. Modified MH model (Yr = Y/Ymax = a* (ASW–threshold’s constant) revealed that a single dimensionless curve could be used to express yield—salinity interference when represented by varying ASW. The vGG model: vGG can represent salt tolerance of most crops, by using varying wilting point of average root zone salinity, at which the yield has declined by 50%. The abscissa of both models was based on WP rather than the standard soil electrical conductivity (ECw). The correlation between the experimental data and WP or relative available soil water (RASW) was acceptable and, therefore, their usefulness for prediction of relative yield is acceptable as well. The objectives of this study were: 1. To develop a simple model describing the effect of salinity through soil water availability on crop production; 2. To replace the standard varying soil electrical conductivity ECe used by MH and vGG models by two soil parameters (at wilting point- θwp and at field capacity ϴfc) in order to describe the relationship between them and relative yield. 3. Validate the new model with respect to independent salinity on Golf courses and a mathematical deterministic model.

Linear Relationship of a Soil Total Water Potential Function and Relative Yield—A Technique to Control Salinity and Water Stress on Golf Courses and Other Irrigated Fields

A simple empirical approach is proposed for the determination of crop relative yield (%) through the soil total water potential (kPa). Recurring to decimal logarithms, from analytical exponential expressions, a linear simple relationship of soil total water potential Ψt (matric Ψm + potential Ψo) function and crop relative yield was studied and developed. The combination of the salinity model, the soil water retention model and the matric potential approach were used to reach this objective. The representation of turfgrass crop relative yield (%) versus a function of soil total water potential f(Ψt) values was shown through a log-normal graph (y = a + mx); the log scale axis “y” (ordinates) defines relative yield Yr, being two the origin ordinate “a” and “m” the slope; the normal decimal scale axis “x” (abscissa) is the function of soil total water potential f(Ψt). Hence, it is possible, using only two experimental points, to define a simple linear relation between a function of soil total water potential and crop relative yield, for a soil matric potential value lower than −20 kPa. This approach was first tested on golf courses (perennial turfgrass fields), but it was further decided to extend it to other annual crop fields, focused on the model generalization. The experimental plots were established, respectively, in Algarve, Alentejo and Oeiras (Portugal) and in the North Negev (Israel). Sprinkler and trickle irrigation systems, under randomized blocks and/or water and salt gradient techniques, were used for water application with a precise irrigation water and salt distribution. Results indicated that there is a high agreement between the experimental and the prediction values (R2 = 0.92). Moreover, the precision of this very simple and easy tool applied to turfgrass fields and other irrigated soils, including their crop yields, under several different sites and climatic conditions, can contribute to its generalization.