Transcript Slide 1

Glen Sampson
A Change in Attitude
 Prevention is the key
 Treating the cause rather than the symptoms
 pesticides are no longer the only way to go
 We cannot only be concerned about the specific site we are
dealing with but adjacent areas as well
 Total site management not just pest management
 We must be more knowledgeable about what is going on in
a turf
Growing Turf Without “Pesticides”
 The philosophy of growing turf (or anything else)
without pesticides is simply that a healthy soil grows
healthy plants
 When you feed the beneficial life in the soil, those
growing populations of microorganisms begin to
accomplish many jobs that now consume great
amounts of your time, money, and energy.
Key Definitions
 Plant Health Care (PHC) – A comprehensive system for
managing the appearance, structure, and vitality of
ornamental landscapes and sports turf within client
expectations




Site evaluation and preparation
Plant selection, establishment, and cultivation
Pest management
Plant removal and utilization
 Integrated Pest Mgt. (IPM) – A method for managing pests
that combines cultural, biological, and chemical control
tactics into a single management strategy

IPM is an essential component of the PHC management system!
Key Definitions
 Pest – any organism that
 threatens the health, structure, appearance, or
value of desirable plants
 Competes with desirable plants for resources
 Diminishes personal enjoyment, comfort, or
safety in the landscape
 Most organisms in the landscape are not pests
 Many organisms make positive contributions to
the landscape
 A “pest” is not always a pest
 Not all pests require control
Categorizing the site
 Class A
 High level of service: fine ornamental lawns, golf and
lawn bowling greens, irrigated sports fields.
 Class B
 Moderate level of service: general park areas, residential
and commercial lawns, boulevards, recreational fields,
golf fairways.
 Class C
 Low level of service: meadows, picnic areas, rough grass,
undeveloped and naturalized areas.
IPM is:
 A pest management philosophy that utilizes all
suitable pest management techniques and methods
to keep pest populations below economically
injurious levels or below what causes damage that is
aesthetically unacceptable.
 Prevention is the key
 Each pest management technique must be
environmentally sound and compatible with
turf/landscape manager’s objectives.
A changing perspective on IPM
and its implementation
 an increasingly competitive market
 higher expectations
 continued societal concerns over pesticides
 increasing regulations in many areas
 newer, less-toxic products
 Treating problems rather than symptoms
Societal and industry concerns
 Environmental concerns
 Pesticide contamination of urban creeks, estuaries, and
other waterways is an increasing concern
 Health concerns
 Chronic health concerns, environmental sensitivities
 Pesticide resistance
 Pest resurgence
 Pest replacement
Glyphosate Resistant Buckthorn Plantain
Rates:
L/ha
0
2
4
6
8
10
Glyphosate resistant
Susceptible
Sustainable Landscape Practices
 Best Management Practices
 Emphasize plant health and longevity
 creating outdoor spaces that utilize fewer inputs
 are environmentally friendly
 are self-perpetuating over a period of time.
 Improve the environment by conserving resources,
reducing chemical inputs and reduce labour inputs
Manage pests
 Most problems in lawns are not caused by pests, such
as weeds, insects or disease-causing pathogens.
 Damage is more likely the result of poor turfgrass
selection or improper maintenance practices.
 Providing proper care and using an appropriate
turfgrass species can prevent the majority of lawn
problems.
Does IPM work?
 “If our team invested time monitoring the turf conditions
and paid attention to what were the stressors on a specific
area such as a sports field, we knew we could keep the area
very healthy with good plant cultural practices,” -Karen
Richter, Organizational Leader of Parks Maintenance at the City of Waterloo.
 With the consistent application of sound horticultural
practices, Waterloo decreased its use of pesticides at a
steady pace throughout the 1980s. By the mid-1980s, the
city had eliminated blanket spraying. By 1990, Waterloo
spot sprayed less than 10 per cent of its green space.
Basic Principles of IPM
 A dense, vigorously growing, healthy plant
population will resist invasion by pests
 Pests must be kept below levels that are
incompatible with the purpose of the desirable
species
A Good Pest Management Strategy
 A good pest management strategy incorporates some
or all methods available to manage a given pest.
 The goal
 to reduce pest populations and damage to economically
and aesthetically tolerable levels. Complete eradication
may not be possible, practical, or desirable.
A Good Pest Management Strategy
 Prevention
 Prevention the introduction and/or spread of a pest

Into or away from a site
 Exclusion One of the safest and most effective ways to
manage pests in the home environment is to deny
them access - pest-proofing
 Exclusion by Regulation
 Mechanical Exclusion
What does a Turf IPM program look like
Tom Voigt and Tom
Fermanian - University of
Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
Establishing new turf
 Rapid establishment of turf is desirable
 Reduces erosion
 Suppresses weed seed germination and weed growth
 Optimum seeding rates (1.5-2.5 kg 100m2)
 Healthy turf to enter winter
Pre-plant weed control
 Cultivation
 Irrigate to allow germination of weeds in planting bed.
 Follow up with a shallow (less than 1 inch) cultivation after weeds have emerged but before
they get too big (usually before they have 4 leaves).
 Repeat the irrigation and cultivation cycle two or three times for best results.
 Summer cultivation for perennials
 For perennial weeds, it is ideal to repeatedly cultivate soil in summer, keeping it
completely dry for extended periods to dehydrate propagules (stems, rhizomes, or tubers).
 Herbicide application
 Irrigate to allow germination of weed seeds in planting bed.
 Apply non-selective herbicide, such as glyphosate.
 Repeat the irrigation and herbicide cycle if necessary.
 Solarization
 Solarization is very effective during the hottest part of the year. Six weeks are required for
best results
Role of soil microorganisms
 Fertilize by fixing nitrogen from the air, mineralizing
soil organic nutrient, generating carbon dioxide, and
dissolving mineral nutrient from rock
 De-thatch by composing thatch and other organic
matter into valuable nutrients and humus, which in
turn increase the water and nutrient holding capacity
of the soil
 Aerate the soil
 Control many insect and disease problems by
competition and predation
Soil amendments and fertilizers
 Fertilizers vs. soil amendments
 Fertilizers improve the supply of nutrients in the soil, directly
affecting plant growth. Soil amendments improve a soil's
physical condition (e.g. soil structure, water infiltration),
indirectly affecting plant growth.
 Topsoil
 Topsoil may be added to raise the soil level to a minimum
depth of 6 to 8 inches.
 The topsoil should be mixed into the existing soil.
 Soil pH
 The ideal soil pH ranges from 6.0 - 7.0.
 Grass loses it comprtitive ability at lower pH
Soil amendments
 Organic (material) amendments
 Organic material improves soil structure.
 Organic material can be added to sandy soils to increase
nutrient and moisture retention.
 Clay soils can also be amended with organic material to help
loosen the soil and provide better aeration and drainage.
 Compost is the easiest organic material to use.
 A rotary tiller works best to incorporate the organic material
to your soil.
 A layer of 1 - 2 inches spread over your site should be tilled to
a depth of 3 - 6 inches.
Choose and identify your turf species
 Successful selection of a turf grass requires knowing how
the turf will be used, where it will be grown and what level
of quality is desired
 Failure to properly identify a turf grass species can lead to
mistakes in maintenance.
 not all turf grass species tolerate the same mowing height or
frequency.
 Irrigation frequency and the amount of water needed vary
among species as do the frequency and amount of fertilizer.
 Turf grasses also differ in how they adapt to sun, shade, and
temperature.
 Most lawns are mixtures of various turf grass species.
Endophytic grasses
 Endophyte is a naturally occurring fungus that grows




symbiotically in the grass plant.
It produces compounds that prevent insects from feeding
on the leaves and stems of the plant.
Improved performance under low maintenance situations
makes some of the endophytic forms good candidates for
low maintenance uses such as on roadside right of ways
and in parks.
The presence of the fungus improves plant vigour and
helps with resistance to some environmental stresses.
Avanex™ - endophyte tall fescue for airports – research has
shown that it reduces bird populations by 87%
Concerns with endophytic grasses
 Animal toxicity – alkaloids -Ergovaline
 Reduced biodiversity
 Invasive species
 Storage issues that affect the viability of the
endophytes – therefore, variety may not perform as
expected
Lawn care for established lawns
 No two lawns are exactly alike. Lawns may differ by turf
species, soil type, climate, location, how they are used, and
how they are maintained. Tailor a program with the
specifics of your situation in mind.
 A good maintenance program includes





Mowing
Irrigating
Fertilizing
Dethatching
Aerating
 A well-planned and executed maintenance program will
produce good-looking, green turf grass that will quickly
recover from wear, pest damage, or mechanical injury
Lawn renovation
 Some causes of lawns deterioration
 from poor maintenance,
 inadequate drainage
 heavy traffic
 pest problems,
 weed invasions,
 simply because the wrong grass species was planted.
Lawn Renovation
 Neglected lawns
 Take better care of your lawn and bring it back to life with regular
maintenance.
 Localized problems - Partially renovate your lawn by patching.
 Problem areas spread throughout the lawn
 Overseed your lawn.
 Severe problems encompassing more than 40% of the lawn
 Completely renovate your lawn by killing it and starting over from
scratch.
 Don't repeat mistakes! Find the cause of your problems before
you renovate
Weeds as stress indicators in turf
Species
Condition
Annual bluegrass
low fertility, compact soil,
mowing too short, excessive moisture
Buttercup
Excessive moisture
Chickweed
thin grass, excessive moisture
Clover
low nitrogen, drought, compaction
Crabgrass
thin grass, low fertility, compaction
Dandelion
thin grass, low fertility, mowing too
short
Hawkweed
low pH
Weeds as stress indicators in turf
Species
Condition
Sheep sorrel
low pH
Moss
heavy shade, low fertility, low pH
Plantain
low fertility, mowing too short
Dock
excessive moisture
Creeping charlie
excessive shade
Overseeding a lawn
 When should you overseed?
 Your lawn appears to be in good condition, but just a little
thin
 Thinning lawn following winter
 High traffic areas
 Always determine and solve the cause of your current
problem before beginning repairs, and plan to seed at a
time of year appropriate to the planted turf species.
 What should you overseed with?
 If your lawn is in relatively good condition in most areas,
choose the seed mix you used in the past or turf
recommended for overseeding
 Overseeding your lawn
 Closely mow the turf and rake up the debris
 Dethatch and aerate
 Seed, fertilize, and irrigate
 Maintenance
 Patching the lawn with seed, sod, sprigs, plugs, stolons
 Dig out the affected area
 Work the soil
 Replant with seed, sod, stolons, sprigs, plugs
 Complete renovation
 Kill the existing turf and weeds
 Remove the remaining turf
 Rethink your irrigation system
 Prepare the soil
Thinning lawn
What are the abiotic stress factors
 Compaction
Examples of poor design that can
lead to problems
Abiotic factors
 Dog Urine
Abiotic factors
 Fertilizer burn
Abiotic factors
 Nitrogen deficiency
Abiotic factors
 Uneven fertilizer application
Abiotic factors
 Overwatering
Abiotic factors
 Glyphosate (Roundup damage)
Abiotic factors
 Items left on lawn
Abiotic factors
 Scalping
Abiotic factors
 Shade
Abiotic factors
 Dull mower blades
Components of a Sustainable Urban
Landscape/Golf Course Program
 Fertility management
Integrated pest
(turf)
management
 Mowing practices
=
 Water management
 Traffic management
 Weed management
 Disease and insect
management
“A pest management philosophy”
 Recognizes there is no “cure-all” in pest control.
 Dependence on any one pest management method will have
undesirable effects.
 Determine and correct the cause of the pest problem.
 Understanding Pest biology and ecology is essential.
 Manipulate the environment to the crop’s advantage and to the
detriment of the pest.
 Recognizes that eradication of a pest is seldom
necessary or even desirable, and generally not possible.

Some damage is unavoidable and acceptable
 Effective pest management plans
 are comprehensive in scope
 integrate agronomic and biological principles
 integrates cultural, biological and chemical pest control
practices.
 They provide proven, science-driven and reliable methods
for resolving the sometimes conflicting goals that golf
course superintendents face
 producing consistently high quality, high playability turf
 at the same time reducing environmental impacts and
keeping within budget constraints.
Toolbox of
management tactics:
Biological Controls
Cultural Controls
Mechanical Controls
Chemical Controls
Decision-making aids:
Proper Pest Identification
Pest Monitoring Methods
Environmental Monitoring
Use of Degree Days
Models economic injury
Action thresholds
Knowledge of pest/host/ecosystem biology:
Life Cycle Behaviour
Seasonal
Cycle
Population
Interaction
dynamics
Schematic of IPM Concept
Approaches for Turf Protection using IPM
 Regulation using certified seed, sod, sprigs
 Genetic selection of the best adapted species/cultivars for




the location
Cultural – a healthy grass means fewer problems
Physical – isolating areas where pests are a problem
Biological – favouring natural competition
Chemical
 The ability to identify, understand the biology and stay
abreast of control strategies for golf course pests –
including weeds, diseases, insects and other
arthropods and nematodes – is essential for
development and implementation of IPM plans.
“Each Pest Control Technique
Must be Environmentally
Sound”
Risk vs. Benefits
And
“Compatible with With Producers
Objectives”
Pest Identification
 What are the key pests to be managed in the
system, what are their life cycles, how do they
reproduce and how do they disperse.
 Text books
 Fact sheets
 Specialists
 Expert pest id systems
Monitoring - What’s Needed
 Site Descriptions
 Past history, soil factors, fertility level, drainage, management
 Develop a descriptive and predictive models
 What pests are most likely to occur, ways in which they can be
introduced and seriousness of the problem
 Identify and fill in knowledge gaps
 Life cycles, reproductive strategy
 Biology, ecology
MONITORING
 Based on visual inspections (rough estimations)
and on pest counts, presence
 It is important to keep written records of all
counts, as well as notes from visual inspections for
future reference.
 Photographs are useful as a record.
Diagnosing your problem
 Lawn problems are difficult to diagnose, and the
diagnosis process can be quite complex.
 Remember that most turf grass problems are caused
by improper management practices, not by insects or
diseases.
 Before you begin the diagnostic process, take a look at
how you manage your lawn. You may be able to solve
your problem by simply changing your cultural
practices.
Diagnostic tips
 Know the history of your lawn
 Know your predominant turf species
 Identify the problem when you first see symptoms
 Check for symptoms in the early morning
 Collect entire grass plant samples
 Perform a drench test
 Get help
Drench test
Winter dessication
Pink Snow Mold
 Michrodochium nivale
Gray Snow mold
 Typhula spp.
anthracnose
 Colletotrichum graminicola
Colletotrichum graminicola
Dollar spot
 Sclerotinia homoeocarpa
Fairy ring
Crane flies
White grubs
Japanese Beetle
European Chafer
Chafer Damage
June Bug
Black Turfgrass Ataenius
Black Turfgrass Ataenius damage
White Grubs
European Chafer
June Beetle
Japanese Beetle
Chinch bug
Action Threshold
 Pest Population at which a grower must take action to
prevent a pest populations from reaching the
economic injury level
 Economic threshold is slightly below the economic
injury level
 Pest populations must be increasing
Economic Injury Level (Aesthetic)
Action Threshold
Pest
Density
Pest Population
Time
Action thresholds
 In turf, it is difficult to put a dollar value
 Therefore it is dictated by the individuals tolerance for
pest damage -aesthetic
 Aesthetic threshold – similar to economic
threshold except based on what is visually
unacceptable
 Most lawns can withstand some loss of foliage
without quality and growth being affected
 May need to adjust aesthetic sensitivities to allow
for a little more damage
“To Keep Pests Below the
Economic Injury Level”
 Economic Injury Level:
 Cost of control = $ amount of damage caused by the
pest


Includes amount of pest damage
Cost of each control practice
 Are determined through extensive research
 Economic Injury Level is the information that is
necessary to develop an Economic Threshold,
which is used by crop advisors
Action thresholds of some
common pests
Pest
Army worms
Number per Monitoring method
sq. ft.
3-4
Visual, soap flush
Chinch bugs
20 adults
Flotation, soap flush
Cutworms
1
Visual, soap flush
White grubs
3-4
Visual
Action thresholds for cranefly
Average #
larvae per sq.
ft
Decision
0- 25
Do nothing; fertilize appropriately. May need to
treat if turf is young, not well established and
with poor root structure
25 - 50
If your lawn is vigorous and healthy, do
nothing. Decisions are based on the health of
the turf, your personal tolerance, location and
use of the turf
50-80
Treat crane fly problem. Look towards longterm solutions, such as replacing problem
areas with a turf alternative species.
Insect traps for monitoring
 Visual cues – color traps
•omnidirectional shape
•smooth poly surface
•scientifically tapered cone
•attractive, permanent yellow color
Growing degree days
 Daily high + daily low/2 – base development
temperature of the insect=daily degree days
 Below the base development temperature the insect
will not develop. Insects vary in their base
development temperature. The base development
temperature of European corn borer is 7oC
Example
 Can use a max-min thermometer
 Max = 25oC
 Min = 10oC
 Average = 17.5oC
 Subtract base temperature 7oC
 Total degree days = 10.5
 Cumulative total
Chinch bug and damage
Hairy Chinch Bug
 Blissus leucopterus hirtus
 Immature nymphs - bright red in colour when they
first hatch, and begin to darken from brick red to
grey/brown when they are nearly mature
 Characteristic white band across their abdomen which
is eventually covered by the enlarging wings as the
insects become larger and mature.
Control - monitoring
obtain a large can which has a circular
area of approximately 200 centimetres
cut out the bottom and the top to
form a cylinder and force this into the
turf
fill the cylinder with water, the
chinch bugs will soon float to the
surface where they can be seen
Growing degree days – Chinch bug
 max temperature – min temperature – base temperature
2
 427 and 877 degree-days (7ºC base, air
temperature)
 numbers of second and third instar nymphs peak
between mid-July and mid-August.
 Threshold -100 nymphs per sq ft.
 Based on growing degree-days for
normal years - monitor for chinch
bugs from July 1 to mid-August.
Annual bluegrass
 BIOLOGY
 a winter annual, cool-season grass.
 The leaf tips are boat-shaped like the bow of a
boat.
 Poa has a prominent membranous ligule and a
shallow, fibrous root system.
 The plant oftentimes is lighter green than
perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and
creeping bentgrass.
Annual Bluegrass
Annual Bluegrass
 Annual Bluegrass is a lighter green colour than Kentucky
Bluegrass or Fine Fescue and therefore causes discoloration
throughout the lawn
 It has a tendency to thin out and die during summer drought
conditions. This can cause areas of patching which weeds and
insects will take advantage of.
 its seed head production is higher than Kentucky Bluegrass or
Fine Fescue, which causes the lawn to appear overrun and not
well maintained and gives it an unsightly look.
Control of Annual Bluegrass
 Use certified seed and cut out and re-seed bare areas or





overseed later in season
Aerating your lawn once a year
Water deeply and infrequently to encourage good root
development in your Fescue and Bluegrass lawns.
Mow at 2 1/2 to 3 inches to discourage development of seed
heads.U
Unless a soil test recommends otherwise, cut back on
applying high phosphorus fertilizers
Slow release N fertilizers and spread over the summer
Control
 Insecticides
 cultural and mowing practices that minimize thatch
accumulation
 WATCH FOR Chinch bugs when weather turns hot
and dry
 Weekly deep waterings
Should Pesticides be used in an IPM
Program?
 Pesticides used only as a last resort and in a manner
that is legal.
 Pesticides are to be used when there is no risk of
environmental damage or when benefits outweigh the
risks. Use pesticides only when other control practices
aren’t available, economical or practical.
 Must monitor pest populations in the field.
 Identify the pest
 Compare pest population and the economic threshold
 Life stage susceptible to pesticide?
 Crop stage and preventable loss.
What is “Cultural Control”
 Agronomic practices that are designed to:
 Optimize growing conditions for the desirable plants.
Anything that increases a plant’s competitive edge will
result in increased tolerance to pests often resulting in
reduced pesticide use.
 Create unfavorable conditions for the pest
 E.g. fertility management, irrigation scheduling,
mowing heights
What is Mechanical Control?
 Uses machinery and/or other tools to control pests
 Mowing
 Physical barriers



Mulches
Floating mulch
Greens covers
What is Sanitary Control?
 Methods to avoid introducing a pest into a site
 Cleaning equipment –mowers, golf carts, fertilizer
applicators
 Planting certified seed
 Quarantines
What is Natural Control?
 Enhancement of naturally occurring pest management
methods


Beneficial insects
Beneficial diseases
What is Biological Control?
 Manipulation of biological organism to control pests
 Release of predators/parasites/disease of an insect or
weed
 Can be time consuming, expensive and difficult
 E.g. cinnabar moth,
Registered Bioherbicides
 1992 - “Biomal” for roundleaf mallow control
 2003 – “Chontrol” for woody shrubs along rights of
way
 2007 – “Sarritor” limited use of Sclerotinia minor
on dandelion
Dandelion
Dandelion control
Biological Pesticides
Herbicides
Fungicides
Insecticides
Sarritor™
Biomal™
Chontrol™
Nivalis™
Mycostop™
Rootshield™
Serenade™
(Bacillus Subtilis)
Rhapsody™
BTK – Bacillus
thuringiensis (B.t.)
Beauveria bassiana
Constraints for use of biological
pesticides
 Environmental
 Specific temperature and moisture requirements
 Formulation
 Shelf life
 Specificity
Natural Products
Herbicides
Fungicides
Insecticides
Acetic acid
(vinegar)
Citric Acid
Organosol™
(Lactic acid/citric
acid)
Fiesta™ (FeHDTA)
Elemental Sulphur Borax
Garlic powder
Garlic oil
What is Host Plant Resistance?
 Manipulating the plant to withstand or tolerate pests
 Natural breeding method
 Genetically modified plants
 Not a permanent method of control
 Examples: resistant varieties, endophyte grasses
Barriers to adaptation of IPM
 There is a large gap between the general IPM
principles found in textbooks and the development of
site-specific strategies that address issues of climate
and weather, turf varieties, soil and water quality,
specific pest complexes, client/golfer expectations and
varying budgets.
 There are currently few tools available to
landscapers/superintendents that bridge this gap, and
as a result, IPM programs are rarely realized to their
full potential.
Barriers to adaptation of IPM
 Once IPM plans are developed, they cannot remain
static.
 Shifts in pest populations
 Changes in client/golf course expectations and budgets
 The introduction of new products, technologies and
scientific information
 Require methods of evaluating new advances as well as
procedures for periodic updating of IPM plans.
Barriers to adaptation of IPM
 Monitoring (for pests, weather, equipment
operation/calibration and for the quality of water, soil
and turf) and record keeping are the backbone of any
successful IPM program
 Information on monitoring and record keeping tools
and procedures needs to be centralized and presented
in a form that is easily accessible to landscapers/golf
course superintendents.
Barriers to adaptation of IPM
 Objective evaluation of the success (or failure) of newly
introduced practices in meeting turf maintenance goals.
 Without tools for assessing the effectiveness of new
techniques, the landscapers/superintendent’s ability to
justify and promote their management decisions can be
compromised.
Barriers to adaptation of IPM
 Superintendents vary widely in their technical backgrounds, computer
literacy access to information.
 And golf courses vary widely in their interest in IPM principles and the
budgets available to implement them.
 Yet the ability to incorporate IPM into turf management programs
should be feasible for all interested superintendents and golf courses
 Rather than assuming a “one size fits all” approach to IPM, successful
plans need to be flexible enough to take these differences into account
and to make it possible for superintendents at levels to participate.
 IPMgolfpro™ SPRAY & SCOUT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
 IPM golfpro™ is a web based software specifically designed for golf
course Superintendents to track and manage their Spray and Scout
activities.
 IPM golfpro™ offers the following:
 Easy to use and understand
 Plan, execute, track and document your pest management strategies
 Generate reports required by the IPM regulatory legislation
 Track your Fertilizer and Pesticide usage
 Calibrate your Sprayers
 Track your staff Training history
 Subscription
 Annual subscription to IPM golfpro™ software includes initial
course setup, technical support, maintenance and updates
 PRICING: Annual Subscription in CAD$ (plus
applicable taxes)
 Number of Holes
 9
$349
 18
$698
 27
$1047
 36
$1396