Halloween Special: Spring Dead Spot with Dr. Wendell Hutchens
Release Date: 10/31/2025
Connections July 2026, Soil Judging with John Galbraith, Holden Mrizek, and Liz Eroshenko
Field, Lab, Earth
John Galbraith, Holden Mrizek, and Liz Eroshenko join Jim Cudahy to discuss soil judging and the recent International Soil Judging Contest. Contact us at or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: . If you would like to reach out to John, you can find him here: Resources Transcripts: Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America,...
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Novaluron and Annual Bluegrass Weevil with Dr. Benjamin McGraw
Field, Lab, Earth
“Lethal and sublethal effects of novaluron, a novel insect growth regulator, on annual bluegrass weevil, Listronotus maculicollis Kirby, lifestages in turfgrass” with Benjamin A McGraw. Today we’ll be talking to Dr. Benjamin McGraw. Annual bluegrass weevil or ABW is a pest that preys on golf course turf. Novaluron is a new pesticide that may be able to help control ABW, but how does it work and at which life stages is it most effective? In this episode, Benjamin joins me to discuss his work studying novaluron. If you would like more information about this topic, this...
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Geophysical Methods and Agriculture with Dr. Sophia Becker
Field, Lab, Earth
“Geophysical tools for agricultural management: trends, challenges, and opportunities” with Dr. Sophia Becker Geophysical tools can help boost productivity and cut costs in the field, but, as with all areas of technology, work must be done to ensure smooth and useful implementation. In this episode, Sophia joins me to discuss her work studying opportunities and challenges for geophysical methods. If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: This paper is always freely available. Contact us at or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have...
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Soil Health Principles in Iowa with Dr. Marshall McDaniel and Hillary Olson
Field, Lab, Earth
“Putting the Soil Health Principles to the Test in Iowa, USA” with Dr. Marshall McDaniel and Hillary Olson Soil health principles can help guide farmers in best practices for long term soil health and improvement. However, it’s important to test these principles across locations and contexts to see how their implementation is actually shaping soil health. In this episode, Marshall and Hillary join me to discuss testing the soil health principles in Iowa and how this might be expanded into further regions. Tune in to learn: · What the soil...
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Connections April 2026, Science Policy Updates with Michael Torrey and Julie McClure
Field, Lab, Earth
Michael Torrey and Julie McClure of Torrey Advisory Group join Society CEO Jim Cudahy to discuss the impacts of the current administration on the Societies’ sciences, the Farm Bill, and how our members can be involved. Contact us at or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: . If you would like to reach out to Michael, you can find him here: If you would like to reach out to Julie, you...
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Wild Bee Sunflower Nectar Preferences with Dr. Jarrad Prasifka
Field, Lab, Earth
“Wild bee visitation unaffected by disparate nectar phenotypes in a sunflower inbred line population” with Dr. Jarrad Prasifka. Bees are important pollinators for sunflowers. But, just like humans, they also have preferences, which means it’s important for sunflower breeders to breed the kinds of sunflowers that bees like best. In this episode, Dr. Jarrad Prasifka joins me to discuss sunflower nectar and how much it affects wild bee preferences for sunflower lines. Tune in to learn: · How sunflower lines are bred ...
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Living Mulches in Organic Corn with Ben Brockmueller
Field, Lab, Earth
“Mechanical management strategies improve corn production in organically managed living mulch systems” with Ben Brockmueller. Organic farming is a rich and rewarding challenge for farmers, but without the use of herbicides and other conventional methods, weed suppression can be a problem. Cover crops functioning as living mulches can be one way to overcome this challenge, but what works in one crop may not necessarily work in another. In this episode, Ben joins me to discuss cover crop management in corn as a means of weed suppression. Tune in to learn: ...
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Connections February 2026, A Life in Viticulture with Dr. Paul Skinner
Field, Lab, Earth
Dr. Paul Skinner discusses his career in viticulture and his time as a member of the Soil Science Society of America. Contact us at or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: . If you would like to reach out to Paul, you can find him here: Resources Transcripts: Sequum Wine: Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of...
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Sorgoleone with Drs. Sakiko Okumoto, Bill Rooney, and Guntur Subbarao
Field, Lab, Earth
“Synthesis, function, and genetic variation of sorgoleone, the major biological nitrification inhibitor in sorghum” with Drs. Sakiko Okumoto, Bill Rooney, and Guntur Subbarao When we fertilize our crops, some of the nitrogen from that fertilizer gets converted into different forms through processes called nitrification and denitrification. When non-plant available forms of nitrogen exit the soil through water or as gas, it's a serious environmental problem. Thankfully, plants have some pretty nifty ways to prevent nitrification, such as biological nitrification inhibition or BNI, a process...
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Connections, January 2026 with Drs. Wade Thomason, Felix Fritschi, and Aaron Daigh
Field, Lab, Earth
We’re trying something a little bit different. In addition to our regular episodes with Abby, we’ll be adding a monthly bonus episode with Jim Cudahy, the CEO of the Societies. In this first episode, Jim has a chat with the three Society presidents, discussing current challenges and opportunities for the Societies, including ways that members can get the most out of our programs, but guests will vary a lot from there! Please give a listen and let us know what you think. If there are specific guests or topics you want us to cover, let us know! Contact us at or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if...
info_outline“Fifteen years of findings: Advancements in spring dead spot research from 2009 to 2024” with Dr. Wendell Hutchens
Spring dead spot is a disease that lies in wait before going after your turfgrasses, transforming your favorite golf course into the set of your favorite PG-13 slasher. This episode, Wendell joins me to discuss the mega gains made in the last 15 years of spring dead spot research, in hopes that someday we can turn this slow-moving monster into just the stuff of legend.
Tune in to learn:
· What symptoms point to spring dead spot
· What methods are best to combat spring dead spot
· How spring dead spot spreads
· Where the future of spring dead spot research is moving
If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21367
This paper is always freely available.
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.
If you would like to reach out to Wendell, you can find him here:
wendellh@uark.edu
https://www.x.com/HutchensWendell
Resources
Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/app/transcript/NjhmYTU3NzFiNTllYWMyNmM4YjM4NzA5Ry0zb3pZSElDQS1a/o/VEMwNzU3NDY4Njgz
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Spring Dead Spot fact sheet: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/fsa-7551.pdf
Trade magazine articles: https://gcmonline.com/course/environment/news/what-weve-learned-about-spring-dead-spot
NCSU TurfFiles: https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/diseases-in-turf/spring-dead-spot-in-turf/
A Practical Guide to Turfgrass Fungicides: https://my.apsnet.org/APSStore/Product-Detail.aspx?WebsiteKey=2661527A-8D44-496C-A730-8CFEB6239BE7&iProductCode=46734
The Compendium of Turfgrass Diseases, Fourth Edition: https://my.apsnet.org/APSStore/Product-Detail.aspx?WebsiteKey=2661527A-8D44-496C-A730-8CFEB6239BE7&iProductCode=46871
Dr. Nathan Walker at Oklahoma State University: https://experts.okstate.edu/nathan.walker
Dr. Lee Miller at Purdue: https://turf.purdue.edu/author/mill3054/
Dr. Jim Kerns at North Carolina State University: https://cals.ncsu.edu/entomology-and-plant-pathology/people/jpkerns/
Lee Butler at North Carolina State University: https://cals.ncsu.edu/entomology-and-plant-pathology/people/elbutler/
Dr. David McCall at Virginia Tech: https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/mccall-david.html
Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.