Book excerpt: Ecological Golf Course Management is the most comprehensive work ever done on ecological turf management. It's a must-have for any golf course superintendent, sports field manager, or turf professional interested in reducing or eliminating chemical pesticide use. Ecological Golf Course Management focuses on managing the health and welfare of all soil organisms from a single-celled bacterium to fully developed turf plants and connects the reader to the important and relevant interactions between them. It points out ways to exploit natural plant defense systems that have been largely ignored and to engage many of the powerful allies that live above and below ground. Ecological Golf Course Management explores in detail the many aspects of: * Biological and botanical pest control * Plant stress management * Compost production and use * Natural disease suppressants * Biological fertility management * Soil, leaf tissue, and water analysis * The ecological impact of conventional pesticides and cultural practices