Autonomous robotic system and method for controlling disease incidence in a target C4 turf grass area

A method for controlling disease incidence in a target grass area, the method comprising:

• providing an autobot capable of automatically applying a UVC light treatment to the target grass area, the target grass area comprising C4 turfgrass;
• coupling a UVC light subsystem to the autobot such that the UVC light subsystem is suspended above the C4 turfgrass within the target grass area between about 0.5 of an inch to about 18.0 inches;
• generating UVC light by the UVC light subsystem with a wavelength between about 100.0 nm and 300.0 nm;
• emitting the UVC light from the UVC light subsystem to the C4 turfgrass;
• and
• moving the UVC light across the C4 turfgrass within the target grass area using the autobot, wherein the automatic UVC light applications substantially controls disease incidence in the target grass area;
• wherein the C4 turfgrass comprises at least one of:
• paspalum vaginatum, any turfgrass in the Poaceae family;
• Paspalum spp., Paspalum notatum (Bahia Grass);
• Stenotaphrum spp., Stenotaphrum secundatum (St. Augustine Grass);
• Bouteloua spp., Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalo Grass);
• Eremochloa spp., Eremochloa ophiuroides (Centipede Grass);
• Axonopus spp., Axonopus affinis (Carpet Grass);
• Cynodon spp., Cynodon transvaalensis, Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda Grass), and Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis;
• Zoysia spp., Zoysia matrella, Zoysia japonica, Zoysia matrella x Zoysia japonica, and Zoysia tenuifolia.