GTI Advisor 13(2)

From the Editor

Follow the links above for the latest OMAFRA Turf and Landscape & Nursery Reports. We are also introducing a turfgrass industry calendar in this issue. Follow this link to submit event notices for posting. Follow this link to send us your comments and suggestions on the new GTI Advisor format as well as anything you would like to see on the new GTI website.

After a slow start, temperatures here in Ontario are slowly climbing back up to more normal temperatures. I was in the Niagara area this week this past warm and windy Tuesday and some of the turf was showing drought symptoms. We haven't been as dry in the Guelph area but lets hope for moderate temperatures and regular rainfall this summer.

Soccer Hits the Pitch at GTI

At the GTI we have launched a sports field management pilot project in collaboration with Guelph Soccer. Two minifields have been lined out on the research plots in front of the GTI property. Play is being scheduled through Guelph Soccer, the local minor soccer association. The under 10's are the primary users of the fields although an adult coed seven on seven league plays once a week as well. We are establishing a monitoring protocol to evaluate the impact of play on the field over the season. We hope that this pilot project will help lay the groundwork for the development of a more extensive sports field research complex at the GTI.

The pilot project was featured in an article this week in the Guelph Mercury newspaper.

Provincial Pesticide Ban Update

Second reading of Ontario Bill 64, which bans the cosmetic use of pesticides, is nearing a conclusion and the bill will be sent to committee for further review and revisions. Debate in the legislature has been very interesting. Minutes of the debates can be found by going to the House Hansard Search page and searching Session 39:1 using the keyword "pesticide".

The GTI and the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation made a joint submission during the formal public comment period on the bill and are also preparing information to better inform MPP's on some the issues surrounding the proposed legislation. Although there are certainly many different issues that are being addressed by a number of industry associations, the GTI and OTRF comments focused on a few key points:

The province should support research into the development of new plant varieties, management techniques, pest control alternatives and alternative plant species specific to Ontario conditions.

The expertise of the University of Guelph, Guelph Turfgrass Institute & Environmental Research Centre and local turf and landscape management professionals should be utilized to provide information and educational programming that will assist both homeowners and professional landscape managers in adapting to the proposed pesticide ban.

The impact of the proposed legislation on the environmental, recreational and economic benefits of turfgrass as well as the comparative value of potential alternative species or non-living landscapes should be properly evaluated.

The use of pesticides related to research activities undertaken on university research facilities is not cosmetic and should be exempt from the proposed legislation as it provides specific functional value in preparing research land, controlling variability in research results and an important comparison in the assessment of potential alternatives.

The active ingredients and products to be included in the proposed list of prohibited cosmetic use materials should be reviewed prior to enactment of the legislation as well as on a regular basis.

Rob Witherspoon, Director, Guelph Turfgrass Instiute & Environmental Research Centre