DTM*2000 Turf Management I

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The following description is for the course offering in Winter 2023 and is subject to change. It is provided for information only. The course outline distributed to the class at the beginning of the semester describes the course content and delivery, and defines the methods and criteria to be used in establishing the final grades for the course.
 

The course covers cultural management of turfgrasses used for different sectors of the turfgrass industry including: home lawns, industrial sites, roadsides, athletic fields, municipal sites, golf courses, and reclamation of land. Students in the course learn to properly identify cool season turfgrass species. Students are also introduced to the scientific method and will gain planning and organizational skills through the development of an independent experiment during the lab session.

Instructors:

Mike Van Beek

Teaching Assistant:

Michael Kooy kooym@uoguelph.ca

Credit Weight:

0.50

Course Level:

  • Diploma

Academic Department (or campus):

Department of Plant Agriculture

Campus:

Guelph

Semester Offering:

  • Winter

Class Schedule and Location:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for class schedule and location.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to:
  1. Explain uses of turfgrass, both historical and current
  2. Identify the general benefits of turfgrass
  3. Recall details of the economic importance of managed turfgrass systems
  4. Explain general turfgrass biology and morphology, and how it affects turfgrass management systems
  5. Differentiate warm season and cool season turfgrass species characteristics
  6. Identify the major cool season turfgrass species by sight.
  7. Summarize the adaptations (strengths and weaknesses) of turfgrass species and differentiate among optimal species, cultivars, blends and mixtures for different edaphic and climatic situations and usage patterns
  8. Explain the basic steps involved in successfully establishing turfgrass systems from seed (including sod production systems) and from sod.
  9. Explain the basic equipment and material and its use for primary turfgrass cultural management practices: fertility, mowing  and irrigation.
  10. Learn to plan, execute, keep records and report on all aspects of turfgrass management in the course of a lab project.

Lecture Content:

 Topics to be covered in lectures include:
  • Use of turfgrass for home lawns, industrial sites, roadsides, athletic fields, municipal sites, golf courses and reclamation of land
  • Growth and development of turfgrasses
  • Identification and characteristics of turfgrass species and cultivars
  • Climatic and edaphic adaptation
  • Turfgrass mixtures and blends and their uses
  • Establishment techniques: seeding, sodding, etc.
  • Mowing
  • Fertilization
  • Irrigation
Labs & Seminars:
Topics to be covered in labs include:
  • Growth and development of turfgrasses; identification and characteristics of turfgrass species and cultivars
  • Lab project: group project on managing turf with emphasis on decision making, record keeping, and reporting of all aspects of managing turf (in the greenhouse)

The two lab topics overlap in time: the turfgrass biology/ID portion goes from the start of the semester until about week 7, and the lab project will begin in week 3 and run until the end of the semester.

Seminars:

The lab projects will be presented in a seminar session in the last week of classes.  Other seminar sessions may be scheduled as appropriate during lab times.

Course Assignments and Tests:

Assignment or Test Contribution to Final Mark Learning Outcomes Assessed

Case Study

10%

2, 3, 7

Lab Quizzes

10%

6

Turf Sight Identification Test

5%

 6

Lab Project Report

15%

7, 8, 9, 10

Mid-term Exam 

20%

 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

Final Exam

 25% 3, 4, 7

Lab Project Presentation

 5% 7, 8, 9, 10

Weekly Lab Report Summary

10%

5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Final examination:

Please refer to WebAdvisor for exam schedule and location.

Course Resources:

Required Texts:

There is no required text for the course.

Recommended Texts:

Understanding Turf Management (Textbook) R.W. Sheard

Turfgrass Management (Textbook) A.J. Turgeon

Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management (Textbook) N. Christians

Lab Manual:

Lab materials will be distributed during labs and available online at the course website.

Other Resources:

Lecture notes, handouts, assignments, other resources will be available on course website.

Field Trips:

Not applicable.

Additional Costs:

None required.

Course Policies:

Grading Policies:
Unofficial assessment marks will be available in the Grades tool of the course website.
 
Your instructor will attempt to have grades posted online within 2 weeks of the submission deadline, if the assignment was submitted on time. Once your assignments are marked you can view your grades on the course website by selecting Grades from the Tools dropdown menu on the navbar. Your course will remain open to you for seven days following the last day of the final exam period.
 
University of Guelph students can access their final grade by logging into WebAdvisor (using your U of G central ID): https://webadvisor.uoguelph.ca
 
If you choose to submit assignments to the DropBox tool late, the full allocated mark will be reduced by 5% per day after the deadline for the submission of the assignment to a limit of six days at which time access to the DropBox folder will be closed. Late Graded Homework Assignments will NOT be graded if they are submitted after the solutions have been posted to CourseLink.  Extensions will be considered for medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances. If you require an extension, discuss this with the instructor as soon as possible and well before the due date. Barring exceptional circumstances, extensions will not be granted once the due date has passed. These rules are not designed to be arbitrary, nor are they inflexible. They are designed to keep you organized, to ensure that all students have the same amount of time to work on assignments, and to help to return marked materials to you in the shortest possible time.
Course Policy regarding use of electronic devices and recording of lectures:

Electronic recording of classes is expressly forbidden without consent of the instructor. When recordings are permitted they are solely for the use of the authorized student and may not be reproduced, or transmitted to others, without the express written consent of the instructor.

Other Course Information:

University Policies

Academic Consideration

When you find yourself unable to meet an in-course requirement because of illness or compassionate reasons, please advise the course instructor in writing, with your name, id#, and e-mail contact. See the academic calendar for information on regulations and procedures for Academic Consideration:

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University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that discourages misconduct. Students need to remain aware that instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection. Please note: Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of guilt. Hurried or careless submission of assignments does not excuse students from responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or faculty advisor.

The Academic Misconduct Policy is detailed in the University Calenders:

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For more information, contact CSD at 519-824-4120 ext. 56208 or email sas@uoguelph.ca or visit the Student Accessibility Services website: http://www.uoguelph.ca/csd/.

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