Kerns featured in Envu root diseases webinar

Envu is hosting an educational webinar about turfgrass root disease management featuring plant pathologist Dr. Jim Kerns.

“Management of Root Diseases in Turfgrass: An Adventure in Timing and Placement” will be moderated by Envu Green Solutions Team specialist Dr. Jesse Benelli, and will cover research on fungicide movement through the soil and discuss suggested best management practices to ensure fungicides reach the intended target.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to noon ET, Thursday, May 8. It is free and requires registration.

“Professor Kerns and his team have worked closely with the Envu Green Solutions Team on root disease research for many years,” Benelli said. “What we know is early diagnosis is difficult as damage accumulates over time, and by the time symptoms appear, it may be too late for successful fungicide intervention. Additionally, fungicides are not easily mobile in soil, making it challenging to deliver the products to the pathogens' location.”

Golf course superintendents should address pathogen populations early with simple, proactive steps to ease the burden of potential curative disease measures later in the season. Starting applications earlier in the season sets the stage for effective and efficient disease management all year. The webinar will focus on recognizing root diseases, including take-all root rot, mini-ring, Pythium root rot and dysfunction, fairy ring, and nematode feeding. The discussion will cover key strategies for managing fungal turfgrass diseases. 

Kerns is a professor and extension specialist at NC State University, where he focuses on turfgrass pathology. His specializations include etiology, epidemiology and management of diseases of both warm- and cool-season grasses. His research program focuses on understanding the biology of ultradwarf Bermudagrass diseases, large patch of zoysiagrass, plant parasitic nematodes in turf and diseases of creeping bentgrass. The program’s mission is to provide efficacious and cost-effective management strategies to turfgrass managers in North Carolina and beyond. The program also houses the Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab, managed by Lee Butler.