GLOSSARY
Aerification
Core aerification involves removal of small (0.25- 0.75-inch diameter) cores or plugs from the soil profile. Other forms of aerification and cultivation include solid tine aerification, air-injection, sand-injection, water-injection, slicing, drill-and-fill, and fraise mowing.
Apron
The fairway area close to and in front of the putting green, adjoining the putting green
collar. This area is normally mowed at fairway height, but sometimes is mowed slightly closer.
Aquifer
A saturated bed, formation, or group of formations which yields water in sufficient quantity to be economically useful.
Benchmarking
Comparing or assessing to a standard or point of reference, such as to evaluate energy efficiency.
Best Management Practices
Methods or techniques found to be the most effective and practical means of achieving an objective, such as preventing water quality impacts or reducing pesticide usage.
Biological Control
The use of living organisms, such as bacteria, to reduce populations of pests.
Calibrate
To determine or mark the graduation of, or to determine and control the amount of material delivered by a sprayer or spreader on a given area or in a given time.
Collar
An area of turf adjoining the putting green that is mowed at an intermediate height between the fairway and the green.
Compaction
The reduction in the number and size of airspaces caused by compression, most often the result of traffic. Compaction prevents adequate water and air penetration and reduces turfgrass root growth.
Coring
The removal of a core from a turfgrass area with a soil probe or hollow metal tines, usually to provide aeration.
Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance (CM) is simply the act of fixing what is broken (e.g., cleaning a clogged orifice or a complete renovation of an irrigation system). As opposed to preventative maintenance.
Cultivar
A term used to distinguish cultivated varieties of plants from the naturally occurring
varieties.
Cultivation
A mechanical procedure such as spiking, grooving or core removal on established turf without destroying its sod characteristics.
Dethatching
The procedure of removing an excessive thatch accumulation either mechanically, by practices such as vertical mowing, or biologically, such as by topdressing with soil.
Disease
A disturbance in normal functioning and growth, usually caused by pathogenic fungi, bacteria, or viruses.
Dissipation
Relates to the reduction in concentration over time of a pesticide or other compound which has been applied to plants, soil, water, etc. This may be due to a number of factors including dilution and degradation.
Distribution Uniformity
A measurement of how evenly water is applied across turf during irrigation.
Drainage
The rapid removal of water by surface contouring (swales or ditches) or the installation of subsurface tile.
Drift
The physical movement of pesticide droplets or particles through the air at the time of pesticide application or soon thereafter from the target site to any non- or off-target site.
Endangered, Threatened or Listed Species
Species that have been identified as being in danger of extinction now or are likely to become endangered within in the foreseeable future.
Environmental Fate and Transport
The movement and distribution of chemicals in the environment.
Erosion
The wearing away of the land by running water, wind or other geological agents.
Evapotranspiration
The combination of soil evaporation and transpiration from a plant; total water loss from plant and soil.
Fairway
No precise definition exists in the Rules of Golf for fairway. It is deemed to be an area between the tee and putting green included in the term “through the green.”
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
The basic U.S. system for the regulation of pesticides to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment. Under FIFRA, the USEPA sets the minimum standards concerning the distribution, use, and disposal of pesticides and their containers.
Fertigation
The application of fertilizer through an irrigation system.
Fertilizer
A nutrient applied to plants to assist growth.
Foliar fertilizers
Soluble plant nutrients applied to the leaf and capable of being absorbed through leaves.
Fumigant
A liquid or solid substance that forms vapors that destroy pathogens, insects, or other pests. Fumigants are usually used in soils or closed structures.
Fungicide
A chemical that kills or inhibits the growth of fungi.
Fungus
A form of life distinct from plants that, lacking chlorophyll and being incapable of manufacturing its own food, lives off dead or living plant and animal matter.
GDD
Growing degree day.
Germination
The beginning of growth in a seed, plant bud or joint.
Grain
As applied to putting greens, the tendency for grass leaves to lie down in one direction and interfere with the natural roll of the ball.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDDs) are heat units used to estimate the development of plants and pests during the growing season. This method is more reliable at predicting insect development than calendar days.
Ground covers
Plants used to provide a low-maintenance, vegetative cover that is not necessarily turf.
Habitat
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Herbaceous
Nonwoody plants.
Herbicide
A chemical used to kill weeds or herbaceous growth.
Humus
A dark, well-decomposed material formed from decayed vegetable or animal matter in
the soil.
Hydroseeding
A technique for applying seed, mulch and fertilizer in a water slurry over a seedbed.
Infiltrate
To filter into, the penetration of water through soils.
Inorganic fertilizer
Plant nutrients derived from mineral rather than organic sources.
Insecticide
A chemical used to destroy insects.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.
Internode
The portion of a stem between the nodes or joints.
Invasive Plants
Plants that are not native to an environment, and once introduced, they establish, quickly reproduce and spread, and cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health.
IPM
Integrated Pest Management.
Lip
An abutment of sod raised 3 to 4 inches above the sand level of a bunker. It faces the putting green and prevents a player from putting out.
Lime
Materials containing calcium and magnesium used to neutralize soil acidity and to supply calcium and magnesium as plant nutrients. Lime materials include limestone, shell, marl, slag and gypsum.
Localized dry spot
A dry area of sod and soil that resists water as normally applied; caused by various factors such as heavy thatch, soil or fungal organisms.
Leaching
The downward movement of a chemical or nutrient (e.g., pesticide or nitrogen from fertilizer) through the soil and potentially into groundwater.
Littoral Zone
Shallow areas within the near shore area of a lake or pond. Littoral shelves provide emergent aquatic vegetation the appropriate water depth.
Micronutrient
An element needed in small amounts for turfgrass growth.
Minimum Risk Pesticides
Certain “minimum risk pesticides” pose little to no risk to human health or the environment. Because of this, the USEPA has exempted them from the requirement that they be registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
Mulch
A material such as wood chips, straw, netting, or burlap spread over seeded or stolonized areas to protect them from erosion, moisture loss, and temperature extremes and to enhance germination and growth.
Native grasses
Grasses that are indigenous or that occur naturally in a particular region.
Native plants
A plant that is a part of the balance of nature that has developed over hundreds or thousands of years in a particular region or ecosystem (USDA).
Nematicide
A substance used to destroy nematodes.
Nematode
A small, round worm, usually microscopic and colorless, that lives free in moist soil, water or decaying or living organic matter. Parasitic forms puncture plant tissues and live by sucking the juice of the plant.
Neonicotinoids
A class of neuroactive insecticides chemically similar to nicotine that are absorbed by plants and can be present in pollen and nectar, resulting in potential adverse effects to bees.
Node
The joint of a grass stem from which leaves and buds arise.
NPDES
Created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program is authorized to state governments by USEPA to address water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants, such as pesticides, to Waters of the United States (WOTUS).
Nutrients, plant
The elements taken in by the plant, essential to its growth and function.
Organic matter
Decomposed aterial derived from plant or animal sources. An important component of topsoil often added to topdressing soil mixtures to give added water-holding capacity and exchange capacity to the soil.
Organic soil
A general term used in reference to any soil that is at least 20 percent organic matter.
Overseed
To sow seed over an area that is sparsely covered or to plant cool-season grasses into dormant warm-season turfgrass swards for a temporary, green winter cover.
Pathogen
An organism causing disease.
Peat
Unconsolidated soil material consisting largely of undecomposed or only slightly decomposed organic matter accumulated under conditions of excess moisture.
Permeability
A measure of the ease with which air, roots and water penetrate the soil.
Pest Threshold
The pest threshold is the point at which the damage caused by the pest is equal to or greater than whatever threshold you establish. This may be an economic, aesthetic and/or operational threshold.
Pesticide Resistance
The repeated use of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides with the same mode of action that can result in the selection of insensitive pest.
Pesticide Signal Word
Wording on the pesticide label that describe the short-term toxicity of the product. From least-to-most toxic: “Caution”, “Warning”, and “Danger”.
pH
A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a material or solution.
Phytotoxic
Harmful to plants.
Plant growth regulator
In turfgrass, a chemical used to slow vegetative growth.
Point Source
Any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack.
Pollinators
Pollinators include native bees, honeybees, butterflies, birds, and bats.
Postemergence
A term used to refer to herbicide treatment made after weed seedlings have emerged from the soil.
Preemergence
A term used to refer to herbicide treatments made before weed seedlings emerge from the soil.
Profile, soil
A cross-section of soil that shows the layers or horizons lying above the unweathered parent material.
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance (PM) is maintenance that is performed on equipment to prevent it from breaking or malfunctioning in the future. As opposed to corrective maintenance (CM).
Reclaimed Water (Recycled or Effluent Water)
Water which, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use that would not otherwise occur and is therefore, considered a valuable resource.
Renovation
Turf improvement carried out by replanting into existing live and/or dead vegetation.
Residual Toxicity
Residual Toxicity (RT) time is that period of time after completing a pesticide application until there is minimal toxic effect to bees.
Resiliency
The capability of the turf to spring back when balls, shoes or other objects strike the surface, thus providing a cushioning effect.
Restricted Use Pesticide (RUPs)
Federally restricted use pesticides are pesticides that are not available to the general public and have the potential to cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment and injury to applicators or bystanders without additional restrictions.
Rhizome
An underground, root-like stem; underground creeping stem.
Runoff
Water flow along the ground’s surface that can pick up contaminants, such as fertilizers and pesticides. Runoff occurs when the soil is saturated, compacted, high in clay particles, or has lost soil structure (large pores).
Saline soils
Soils in which there is a heavy accumulation of salts.
Sand Applications
Topdressing the playing surface with sand following core aerification and heavy vertical mowing to aid in recovery of turf.
Scalping
Cutting into or below the crown of the grass plant while mowing. Continued scalping will weaken or kill the turf.
SDS
Safety Data Sheet (formally referred to as a Material Safety Datasheet or MSDS).
Section 404 Permit
Permit required by the US Army Corps of Engineers when dredge and fill are proposed in a Water of the United States (WOTUS).
Sedimentation
The transport of soil particles (sediment) in runoff that are deposited into surfacewaters.
Seed bed
An area of soil prepared for seeding.
Seedling
A plant grown from seed; usually refers to a young plant.
Selective herbicide
One that can be applied to a mixed stand of turfgrass and weeds that will selectively kill certain weeds without injuring the turfgrasses.
Sodic Water
Water high in salts, including sodium, that can adversely impact turf quality and have long-term impacts to soil and its ability to sustain a viable root zone.
SPCC Program
A Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan helps facilities prevent, control, and provide adequate countermeasures to the discharge of petroleum, animal, and vegetable-derived oils.
Species
An established classification into which similar individuals in the plant or animal kingdom are placed. A species is described as a morphologically distinctive and genetically isolated natural population.
Spray drift
The movement of small spray particles away from the target area.
Sprigging
The planting of stolons (runners), rhizomes or vegetative segments of plants.
Sterilize
To treat soil chemically or by heat to kill disease organisms, weed seeds and insects.
Stolons
Creeping stems or runners aboveground that may produce roots and new stems and become independent plants.
Stormwater
Water that originates from precipitation events. Stormwater may soak into the ground or, when faced with impervious surfaces, result in runoff.
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
A SWPP is a plan developed to demonstrate sediment and erosion control. SWPPPs include identifying potential pollution sources that may impact stormwater discharge and listing measures that will be taken to reduce or eliminate erosion and sediment movement.
Striping
A pattern left on turfgrass, usually a fairway or green, using lightweight mowing equipment. Its main purpose is a pleasing appearance. Patterns are the result of light reflected from blades of grass lying in different directions because they have been mowed in different directions.
Subsoil
That part of the soil profile below plow depth, usually considered unsatisfactory for plant growth.
Surfacewater
Surfacewater is are water bodies that reside on the surface of the Earth, such as lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. It is distinct from groundwater.
Surfactant
An agent that reduces the surface tension of liquids on plant materials or in the soil. Wetting agents are common examples.
Susceptible
Lacking an inherent ability to resist. Turf may be susceptible to diseases, insect damage or weed encroachment.
Thatch
A tightly intermingled layer of dead and decaying roots, stolons, shoots and stems that develops between the green vegetation and soil surface.
TMDL
The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still safely meet water quality standards. TMDLs are established for water bodies on the 303(d) list.
Tolerance
The ability of a plant to withstand the effects of adverse conditions, chemicals or parasites.
Topsoil
A general term applied to the top natural layer of soil.
Topdressing
The act of adding a material to a turfgrass surface to enhance its quality and appearance such as a fertilizer spread thinly on the surface of soil or a lawn. A prepared mixture usually containing sand and organic matter used for leveling and smoothing the playing surface. It aids in controlling thatch and in maintaining biological balance. Topdressing is also used to cover stolons or sprigs in vegetative planting.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
Total dissolved solids (TDS) is a measure of the dissolved combined content of all inorganic and organic substances present in a liquid in molecular, ionized or micro-granular (colloidal sol) suspended form.
Toxicity
The degree to which a chemical can cause adverse effects in an organism, considering the dose, route of exposure, and duration of exposure.
Transpiration
The movement of water vapor out of a plant through leaf openings.
USACE
The United States Army Corp of Engineers is a U.S. federal agency under the Department of Defense made up of civilians and military that review Section 404 permits.
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) pumping systems
An adjustable-speed drive that controls pump motor’s speed to deliver only what the operation needs to function at optimal efficiency.
Variety
In classification, a subdivision of species. Differing from the remainder of the species in one or more recognizable and heritable characteristics.
Vertical Cutting (Verticutting)
The thinning of turfgrass grasses by blades or wire tines, which cut perpendicular to the soil surface.
Water Solubility
The tendency of a chemical to dissolve in water. Chemicals with high water solubility may be more inclined to be mobile if they come into contact with water.
Weeds
Plants out of place; undesirable or unwanted plants.
Winterization
Preparation of an irrigation system to protect the system and reduce equipment failures resulting from freezing.
Glossary References:
California Golf Industry Best Management Practices Guide, 2020
The Minnesota Golf Course Reference Handbook of Management Practices, 2018
