The 5th European Turfgrass Society Conference, a biannual meeting, was held at the Salgados Palace Hotel (Salgados, Albufeira, Portugal) between June 5th – 8th 2016, under the responsibility and organization of the University of Algarve.
The meeting aimed the share of knowledge, experiences, research results, data, ideas, services, products advertising, among researchers, turfgrass specialists, stakeholders, towardssustainability and perfection for aesthetic, recreational and sports lawns.
Scientifically this meeting was divided in seven main topics:
- Turfgrass genetics and breeding
- Turfgrass and Landscape
- Turfgrass pests (diseases, insects, weeds)
- Technology advances and turfgrass maintenance
- Water Management
- Turfgrass nutrition and physiology
- Turfgrass for sports
Regarding the participation, although the economic problems that most of us are facing nowadays, 115 participants were involve in this scientific programme. These participants came from 21 countries, from Europe, America (North to South), Asia, Oceania and Africa.
The first two days were dedicated to plenary sessions where more than 80 oral communications and posters were presented and discussed in those seven thematic sessions. The third day was a technical tour where sustainability was the main focus, respectively 1) at a golf course which is totally irrigated with treated wastewater (The Herdade dos Salgados golf course), 2) at a golf course project approved after a long environmental study has been done (Quinta da Ombria, Loulé), and 3) at a Bermuda sod farm.
During the first two days, 5 keynote speakersdelivered respectively 5 interesting talks:
- José António Monteiro, from the University of Algarve, spoke aboutturf, mankind and landscape;
- Jason Kruse, from the University of Florida, had his talk focusing the maximization of turfgrass performance, looking for micronutrients and turf nutrition;
- Richard Snyder, from the University of California Davis, gave his talk focusing water management through low-cost urban ET measurements and estimates;
- Filippo Lulli, from Turf Europe, showed how precision farming practices in sports turf management, can helps and solve new and old problems in football pitches, such as the French stadiums that are being used in the football European championship 2016;
- and Tom Hsiang, from the University of Guelph, who gavehis presentation on disease resistance activators and its benefits.
On the second day, the ETS had its General Assembly where a new Board was elected. For the next four years, the actual ETS Board has the following members:
- Stewart Brown,Myerscough College(UK), President
- Anne Mette Dahl Jensen, University of Copenhagen (DEN)
- Alessandro de Luca, Italian Golf Federation (ITA)
- Claudia de Bertoldi, Turf Europe (ITA)
- Tatsiana Espevig, Norwegian Institute of Bio-Economy Research (NIBIO) (NOR)
- Carlos Guerrero, University of Algarve (POR)
- Bernd Leinauer, New Mexico State University (GER/USA)
- Fritz Lord, COMPOEXPERT (GER)
- Wolfgang Praemassing, DEULA Rheinland GmbH (GER)
To the former ETS Board, a special word: Thank you for your commitment to the association.
A special acknowledgment to Messinagro, Syngenta, Itelmatis, Novarelva, Bayer, Sapec, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology,the Luso-American Development Foundation, and the Algarve Tourism Officefor the financial support given.
The Convener,
Carlos Guerrero
June 2016
Click the link below for some photos from the Conference:
