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Wetting Agents: Interview with Dr. Matteo Serena & Dr. Doug Soldat

Watch the discussion below in which Dr. Glen Obear, Director of RDI at Exacto, Inc., interviews two university researchers at the cutting edge of their fields – Dr. Matteo Serena, Professional Researcher at the University of California-Riverside, and Dr. Doug Soldat, Turfgrass Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Watch the interview to hear Dr. Soldat’s and Dr. Serena’s perspectives on a range of topics, including:

  • Turfgrass industry scope and breakdown of research approaches
  • Regional trends with water conservation (arid southwest vs. humid midwestern USA)
  • Collaboration with associations, industry, and end-users
  • Education for the future generation of green industry professionals
  • The future of turfgrass

Dr. Serena’s research primarily takes place in Riverside, CA, where a multidisciplinary team is researching turfgrass breeding, pest control, and water management. Dr. Serena oversees the water conservation and salinity management program, studying the reduction of water use in turfgrass systems. 

Dr. Soldat’s research program is based in Madison, WI, and his team’s projects span a broad range of topics, including soil fertility, water management, and turfgrass growth modeling. The unifying theme of his program is helping people make better decisions based on data, including interpreting weather conditions and soil and water properties. 

For more information, please visit http://turfgrass.ucr.edu/ and http://www.turf.wisc.edu/.

turf plot impacted by localized dry spot, hydrophobic areas

Turf needs water to survive. If not managed effectively, soil moisture can cause consistent problems such as water-repellancy that create dry patches, inconsistent turf appearance, and in severe cases, complete loss of turf. Turf wetting agents help move water into the soil, improve uniformity, and increase moisture retention.

turf field trials

How do great ideas turn into high-quality products? The idea is translated into a stable, quality formulation then the questions begin. At what rate should the product be applied? When should it be reapplied? Can it be mixed with other materials? Does it need to be watered-in? We answer these questions by conducting field trials to put new product ideas to the test under real-world conditions.

potting soil wetting agents

Have you ever purchased a potted plant and noticed that after a few rounds of watering it, the water was going straight down to the drainage holes? This classic case of water repellency or hydrophobicity in the soil can be resolved with the use of soil surfactants, or wetting agents.

Low soil moisture can cause hydrophobicity leading to LDS

Soil water repellency, or hydrophobicity, creates tremendous challenges for irrigation in turf and can be prevented by wetting agents.

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