Golf courses in Switzerland cover approximately 4'200 hectares and serve over 100'000 players, representing a highly managed ecosystem increasingly affected by fungal diseases such as Dollar Spot Disease (DSD). Currently controlled mainly through chemical fungicides, DSD presents growing environmental and management challenges.
This project, developed in collaboration between FiBL and Swiss Golf, aims to establish biocontrol strategies and ecological practices for sustainable DSD management, with the goal of eliminating pesticide use by 2030.
The research plan is structured into seven work packages, including pathogen monitoring and characterization, seasonal disease dynamics analysis, screening of biocontrol agents, evaluation of turfgrass resistance, optimization of agronomic practices, integration of sensors and decision-support models, and communication strategies. The integrated approach combines biological, environmental, and management data to develop effective and scalable solutions, with the potential to set international standards for sustainable turfgrass management in sports environments.
Project manager
