Pest Management PDF

Estates and Grounds Management 1B Sustainable Pest Management Management Subject Instructor - Zandile Maninjwa Practices  Pest Management A turfgrass pest is any organism which causes a measurable degree of degeneration in the visual or function...

Estates and Grounds Management 1B Sustainable Pest Management Management Subject Instructor - Zandile Maninjwa Practices  Pest Management A turfgrass pest is any organism which causes a measurable degree of degeneration in the visual or functional quality of a turf. Pests include insects, weeds and other disease-causing and destructive organisms.  Pest Management Integrated pest management (IPM) is a programme developed by turf managers to reduce pest populations below injury levels by combining all available pest control techniques. – Rather than relying on pesticides alone, the manager also uses other control strategies to prevent or stop a pest problem. – For example, the appearance of weeds in a turf area is usually the result of improper turfgrass maintenance.  Pest Management IPM is based on six basic principles: – IDENTIFICATION OF THE PESTS – This includes all insects and other animal pests, weeds, fungi, nematodes, bacteria and viruses to be managed in the turfgrass ecosystem – DEFINITION OF THE TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT UNIT – For some pests it may be a single unit of turfgrass (an athletic field, park, lawn or golf course fair­way or green). – The size of the management unit depends on the mobility of the pest and its dis­persal potential.  Pest Management – The IPM system depends heavily on monitoring or scouting turfgrass areas on a regular basis for insects, weeds and diseases. – This information, in conjunction with data on related matters such as recent weather conditions, past cultural practices, the grass or grasses being grown, and desired turf quality enables the turfgrass manager to select the best and most economical management strategy possible. – ESTABLISHMENT OF ECONOMIC THRESHOLDS – These thresholds will vary with the level of maintenance (low, medium or high), the turfgrass grown, and the pests that need to be controlled  Pest Management DEVELOPMENT OF DESCRIPTIVE AND PREDICTIVE MODELS – We need to identify and fill the knowledge gaps in the life cycles of many different turfgrass pests. – We need to know more about the biology, ecology and epidemiology of these pests. DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMICAL PEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGY – This should involve the coordinated use of multiple tactics or control strategies into an integrated system.  Pest Management Pesticides – A pesticide can be defined as a chemical agent utilized in a cultural programme for the effective control of turfgrass pests. – The commonly used pesticides include insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. To function effectively, the pesticide must be applied where pest activity occurs, at a predetermined rate and timing. The successful control of pests does not necessarily suggest the total elimination of a particular pest. It merely proposes a reduction in the activity or population of the pest concerned, in a man­ner that does not diminish the desired level of turf quality.  Pest Management Formulations – Salt concentrates – Emulsifiable concentrates – Wettable powders – Flowable suspensions – Water dispersible granules – Soluble powders – Granules  Pest Management Soluble liquids – These liquid preparations are also highly water soluble and form a stable solution in the spray tank that does not require agitation. Fumigants – Fumigants are pesticides that form a gas when applied. – Turf managers may fumigate a soil before establishment to kill pests such as nematodes. Adjuvants – Adjuvants are chemical additives that improve the performance of a pesticide.  Pest Management Three other types of adjuvants commonly added to pesticide formulations are called stickers, extenders and spreaders. Stickers increase the initial adherence of the pesticide to foliage, and extenders enable it to remain there for a longer period of time. Spreaders help the toxicant to spread evenly over treated surfaces.  Pest Management Turfgrass insect pests can be grouped into three categories based on the type of damage they cause: root-feeding, shoot-feeding, and burrowing – The first two present detrimental effects on turfgrasses, while the last category consists of insects which are really more of a nuisance because of their disruptive effect on the turfgrass surface. – Some insects are beneficial in that they are responsible for the decomposition of organic matter or function as predators of other, sometimes harmful, organisms.  Pest Management Those that are harmful to the growth and sustenance of turfgrasses, however, are regarded as pests which need to be effectively controlled. A LIST OF INSECTS COMMONLY OCCURRING IN TURFGRASSES – Create a template that will enable you to study.  Pest Management Insecticides – Usually insecticides are not applied until an insect problem occurs. – Most of the insecticides com­monly used on turfgrass in recent years retain their ability to kill insects for less than two weeks after application. – They do not persist long enough to protect the turf from future problems. – If injury is not apparent, it is often a waste of time and money to treat the turf areas with these mate­rial because of their brief residual effect. – It is also environmentally unsound to apply insecticides unnecessarily.  Pest Management The key to effective insect control, whether using short- or longer-term insecticides, is early diag­nosis and treatment of insect problems. Preventing losses to insects requires constant vigilance on the part of the estate turf manager. Early detection enables the manager to apply an insecticide before significant turf injury occurs.  Weed Control Weed Control A weed can be defined as a plant growing where it is not wanted. Where a weed emerges in a tur­fgrass community, this definition can be expanded to and undesirable plant which interferes with the visual and/or functional quality of a turfgrass surface.  Weed Control Weeds Annual grasses – Annual grasses are controlled with pre-emergence herbicides. The toxic chemical barrier formed at the soil surface by the pre-emergent herbicide usually lasts six to twelve weeks depending on which chemical is used. Perennial grasses – Perennial grassy weeds can cause serious problems because they are so similar to turfgrasses that it is difficult to develop selective herbicides which will control them and not kill the desirable grass.  Weed Control Nutsedge, or nutgrass as it is sometimes called, is a sedge and not a true grass. However, it is a perennial monocotyledon and is normally grouped with perennial grasses in discussions of weed control. Broadleaf weeds The majority of herbicide applications are aimed at broadleaf weeds. Fortunately, broadleaf weeds are relatively easy to control in turf because they are cotyledons and can be killed with herbicides that do not injure the turfgrass. They are applied directly to the leaves of the weed.  Weed Control Herbicides – Herbicides are chemicals that control weeds. – They can be selective, killing one type of plant but not injuring another. – 2, 4-D is a widely used herbicide that controls a number of broadleaf weed species, but will not adversely affect mature turfgrass if applied properly. – Non-selective herbi­cides control both broadleaf and grass plants.  Weed Control – Some herbicides are applied to the soil before the weeds are expected to appear in the turf. – These pre-emergence herbicides form a toxic chemical barrier near the soil surface and destroy seedlings before they emerge. – This type of herbicide is primarily used to control annual grasses. Mature, established grasses are not killed by pre-emergence herbicides where roots are beneath the chemi­cal barrier. Post- emergence herbicides are applied after the weeds have appeared above the soil surface. This type is used primarily against broadleaf weeds and perennial grasses.  Weed Control The vast majority of herbicides used by the turf managers are systemic. They enter the weed through its roots or leaves and are translocated throughout the plant by the vascular tissue. Eventually the systematic herbicide kills all parts of the plant.  Weed Control CREATE A TEMPLATE FOR THE TYPES OF WEEDS. Disease Control – A disease may be defined as an abnormal condition of plants resulting from alternation in their physiological processes and morphological development, and caused by some adverse environ-­ mental factor. – LIST OF DISEASES THAT COMMONLY OCCUR IN TURFGRASSES  Weed Control A LIST OF WEEDS COMMONLY FOUND IN TURFGRASSES Annual broadleaf weeds Burr clover - Medicago hispida Cape marigold - Aretotinea calendula Cape pigweed - Amaranthus huybritus Common thorn apple - Datura stramonium Cosmos - Bidens formosa  Weed Control Perennial broadleaf weeds Brayulinea - Brayulinea densa Buckhorn plantain - Plantago lanceolata Creeping sorrel - Oxalis corniculata Dandelion - Taraxacum serotinum Khaki weed - Alternanthera pungens Red Clover - Trifolium debium  Weed Control Free State daisy - Aretoris venusta Prostrate knotweed - Polygonum aviculare Purslane - Portulaca oleracea Red euphorbia - Euphorbia hirta Shepherd's purse - Capselia bursa-pastoris Smooth prostrate euphorbia - Euphorbia inaequilatera Tall khaka weed - Tagete minuta Tribulus terrestris - Common dubbleltjie  Weed Control Annual grass weeds African goose grass - Eleusine indica Annual bluegrass - Poa annua Common wild oats - Avena fatua Crab fmger grass - Digitaria sanguinalis Feather-top chloris - Chloris virgata Garden urochloa - Urochloa panicoides  Weed Control Perennial grass weeds and Sedges Couch paspalum - Paspalum distichum Ordinary paspalum - Paspalum dilatatum Red nutgrass - Cyperus rotundus Swazi fmger grass - Digitaria swazilandensis Yellow nutgrass - Cyperus esculentus