LAWN TO BE WILD: Meeting pest management challenges

in residential turf

Michael Brownbridge & Pam Charbonneau

Landscape Ontario IPM Symposium 2014

Targets

• Microbial biopesticides

• Reduced-risk products • Soaps, essential oils

Management tools: Chinch bugs

• Microbial biopesticides • Nematodes

• Application protocols

• New types of turfgrass

• Integration

Management tools: European chafer

Hairy chinch bug, Blissus leucopterus hirtus

2012

2013

Test Products

Product Active Status

Grandevo® (Marrone Bio Innovations)

Chromobacterium subtsugae

Pre-registration

Met52® EC (Novozymes)

Metarhizium anisopliae Registered

Millenium® (Becker Underwood)

Steinernema carpocapsae Registered

2m x 2m

0.5

m b

uff

er

• Pre-treatment sampling

• Spray (3x @ 7d intervals – time 0, 7, 14d; 200mL/m2)

• Treatment evaluation: 48h, 7, 14, 21d

Results: Grandevo

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

Control Grandevo low Grandevo high S. carpocapsae

48h post

1 wk post

2 wks post

3 wks post

b

ab

a

ab

Ch

inch

bu

g p

op

ula

tio

n c

han

ge

Results: Grandevo low rate

Results: Grandevo high rate

Results: S. carpocapsae

Results: Met52 EC

Summary

• Measurable effect on chinch bugs from: o Grandevo

o Met52 EC

• Effect not lasting – no significant effects after 7d o Area-wide application may have a greater impact

o For trial evaluation assess efficacy within 72h of treatment

• Biopesticides tested clearly not a ‘silver bullet’

• Overseeding or renovating with tall fescue or endophytic perennial ryegrass may help control chinch bug outbreaks

European chafer, Rhizotrogus majalis

June beetle European Japanese chafer beetle

‘When white grubs are an issue, we know that turf that was damaged last year has, on average, about an 80% chance to suffer grub damage again’ Turf Magazine - March, 2012

European chafer

• Nematodes (Hb or Sg) will provide 50-60% control (at best)

• Timing of application critical to efficacy – August in Ontario

• Environmental factors can compromise efficacy

2011, 2012 Results

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

control Hb 1:1714-1

Hb 2:1714-3

Sg: 1714-2 Met52 Hb 1 +Met52

Sg +Met52

Gru

b p

op

ula

tio

n r

elat

ive

to t

ime

0 (

=1

) 4 wks

8 wks

Test products and protocols: 2013

Nematodes Application strategy

H. bacteriophora (Hb) One spray

H. bacteriophora Two sprays 14d apart

S. glaseri (Sg) One spray

S. glaseri Two sprays 14d apart

H. bacteriophora + S. glaseri Two sprays 14d apart: Hb followed by Sg

• Pre-treatment sampling Aug 19-21

• Spray 1: Aug 27

• Spray 2: Sept 9

• Treatment evaluation: 4 and 8 weeks after first spray

Results C

haf

er g

rub

po

pu

lati

on

Results: 4 weeks

Results: 8 weeks

Summary

• Most effective treatments: o Two applications of H. bacteriophora, S. glaseri

o Overall, reduced grub numbers by approx. 50%

o Consistent with previous trials

• Treat in August – target young larvae in thatch layer

• Nematodes a useful tool but not a ‘silver bullet’

• Grubs do well in Kentucky bluegrass, older lawns with thick thatch layer

• Consider alternative grasses for overseeding or renovating

Turfgrass

Grasses tested • Rhizomatous tall fescue

• Regenerating perennial ryegrass

• Natural knit perennial rye

• Natural knit tall fescue

• Kentucky bluegrass

Benefits • Faster establishment

• Denser establishment, less space for weeds

• Deep extensive root system, reduced inputs

o Water, fertilizer

• Insect tolerance

Turfgrass

Results: Effects of turfgrass on chafer growth

Results: Chafer feeding preference

• Home lawn mix (predominantly Kentucky blue) preferred over ryes and fescues

• Grubs fed on ryegrass roots when HLM roots consumed

• Overall, best performance seen in fescues

Stoloniferous Tall Fescues

HLM RPR

Results: Germination and growth

HLM

RTF RPR

NKTF NKPR

Results: Disease tolerance?

NKPR RTF KB

Field trials

Treatments: • Rhizomatous tall fescue

• Regenerative perennial ryegrass

• Natural Knit tall fescue

• Natural Knit perennial ryegrass

Results: Grub density

0

20

40

60

80

RTF RPR NKTF NKPR Control

Mea

n n

o. g

rub

s p

er

0.3

m2

b b b b

a

• No silver bullet for chinch bug

• Nematodes 50% control of chafer

• Endophytic turfgrasses

o Can impact chafer, chinch and billbug

o Effects if 35-40% of grasses carry the endophyte (US)

o Performance in Canada?

• Still need new management tools

Take-away messages for 2013

Beauveria bassiana

• Wettable powder

• Wettable briquette

BioCeres

• Natural form derived from shrimp and crab shells • Insoluble powder

• Seed treatment vs. disease

• Winemaking (fines)

• Various health-care applications

• Synthetic chitosan derivatives • Soluble

• Insecticidal activity

Chitosan

• Delivery of rhizocompetent microbes • Insecticidal, e.g. Metarhizium

• Fungicidal, e.g. Bacillus subtilis

• Growth stimulation, e.g. mycorhizzae

• Establishment

• May be applied to all grasses

Seed coatings

Thanks to:

Pam Charbonneau

Richard Reed

Taro Saito

Paul Côté

Nick Popple

Emily Hartwig

Michael Brownbridge michael.brownbridge@vinelandresearch.com