In addition to assisting to solve acute (rapidly developing) disease, the CDGA also works with the USGA Green Section to assist clubs with chronic (long-term) topics. These items include fertilization, topdressing, aeration, course construction, irrigation and drainage.

IPM (Integrated Pest Management) on the Web: Our goal is to provide the superintendents and other turf managers with information about current pest outbreaks and forecast for potential future outbreaks. This is fulfilled through two websites available to everyone. The Turfgrass Program has teamed up with GDD Tracker, gddtracker.net, to provide the results of pest prediction models in a graphical format for all of Illinois. GDD Tracker aids in the prediction of pest events and possible applications to control those pests in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

The CDGA Turfgrass website cdgaturf.com features the latest updates and archives of photos, Turfgrass eScouting Reports, Turfgrass Pest Calendars, research summaries, and written articles. Information can be found on specific turfgrass pests and their occurrence throughout the year. The Turfgrass Program’s IPM tools are based on four sections.

• Historical Database: Weather and pest activity database are constructed for each region of the district which catalogs the connections between environmental variables and pest outbreaks. The weather data is used in many of the program’s communication.
• Pest Alerts: Results of published prediction models based on weather data to anticipate future pest problems can be found on the GDD Tracker website.
• Turfgrass eScouting Report: A weekly report sent by email which summarizes pest activity, weather information, and management recommendations.
• Sponsored Research: Research is conducted to make recommendations to control pest outbreaks. Current and past research activities from the CDGA are available through the CDGATurf website.