Source: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY submitted to
BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF INSECTS ATTACKING TURF AND WOODY LANDSCAPE PLANTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0221554
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2010
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2015
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
500 S LIMESTONE 109 KINKEAD HALL
LEXINGTON,KY 40526-0001
Performing Department
Entomology
Non Technical Summary
More than 80% of US citizens reside in cities and suburbs, creating high demand for lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs, parks, golf courses, playing fields, and other green spaces. As natural areas and croplands give way to suburbs, stable communities of native plants and animals are supplanted by relatively low species diversity of street trees and manicured turf, and a mosaic of ornamental plants, all frequently maintained with fertilizers, water, and pesticides. Often such changes are associated with higher densities of insects that rarely, if ever, reach become pests in natural forests or grasslands. Ever-tighter restrictions on insecticides and invasion and range expansion of serious alien pests (e.g., emerald ash borer) highlight the need for safe, effective solutions to pest problems of lawns, landscapes, sport fields, golf courses, parks, horse farms, and production nurseries and sod farms. Urban plantings also supply oxygen, filter dust, reduce glare, soil erosion, water runoff, and noise pollution, and reduce street temperatures, and they enhance recreational and leisure activities, making cities and suburbs nicer places to live and work. These benefits are critical to mental and physical well-being of urban citizens. Turf culture alone is a >$45 billion per year industry in the USA. There are > 600 million urban trees in the USA having immeasurable value. Horticulture, including nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod, is a multi-billion dollar per year industry. It is especially important in Kentuckys agricultural transition from tobacco. My research program has studied insect pests of turf and landscapes for 31 years. It has provided safe and effective solutions to pest problems for homeowners and professional landscape managers, and supported environmental stewardship by the horticultural industries. We have trained many students now working as professional entomologists. A focus of the proposed work is to support a transition from control that relies on broadly toxic insecticides to an approach that incorporates conservation biological controll, resistant trees, shrubs, and grasses and, as necessary, reduced-risk insecticides. Its breadth reflects the diversity of urban pest problems and interests of present and future student investigators.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2112110113025%
2112130113025%
2152110113020%
2152130113020%
2153090113010%
Knowledge Area
211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants; 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
2130 - Turf; 2110 - Ornamental trees and shrubs; 3090 - Other Pollinators;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
GOALS and OBJECTIVES 1.Investigate biology of major insect pests of lawns, golf courses, sport fields, and pastures; develop safe and effective pest management strategies 1a. Expand the knowledge base on biology, conservation, and enhancement of natural enemies (predators, parasitoids, pathogens) that regulate insect pest populations in turf. 1b. Clarify resistance mechanisms of turf and pasture grasses to insect pests and their compatibility with biological control agents 1c. Evaluate ecological side effects of pesticides, new reduced-risk classes such as anthranilic diamides compared to prevailing chemistries such as nicotinoids, on beneficial invertebrates and ecological processes in turf and landscapes. 1d. Investigate the basic biology, ecology, and management of key pests of turf, especially white grubs, cutworms, invasive earthworms, and new or emerging pests. 2.Investigate biology and management of major pests impacting woody landscape plants. 2a. Evaluate resistance to insects in elms, oaks, magnolias, and other species that may be suitable replacements for trees killed by emerald ash borer and other invasive pests. 2b.Evaluate suppression of soft scales via exclusion of ant "bodyguards" and augmentation of endemic natural enemies. The overall goal is to provide a research base for sustainable insect pest management by landscape, horse farm, and sport field managers; golf superintendents, nursery growers, city foresters, and homeowners, and for recommendations to those persons by Extension educators. In addition, we seek new fundamental information about the biology of key pests and beneficial species, their interactions with plants, and their role in natural and managed ecosystems.
Project Methods
A baculovirus (AgipMNPV) will be tested, with or without adjuvants, for control of black cutworm (BCW) in turf settings by spraying replicated plots and challenging them with eggs or larvae which are later assessed for mortality. Root-feeding white grubs and their pathogens will be sampled on 25 KY golf courses in autumn and spring to assess species makeup and natural enemy incidence. Grubs will be autopsied for parasitoids as well as nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and microsporidia. Relationships with site characteristics will be statistically analyzed. Comparison of infected and non-infected grub fitness will assess particular microbes potential for bio-control. Replicated cool-and warm-season turfgrasses mowed at fairway or rough heights will be sampled to determine effects of those factors on grubs and enemies. Replicated plots with fall blooming perennials will be evaluated for species attractive to parasitoids of turfgrass pests that might be planted to promote conservation biocontrol. Experiments will assess how physical and chemical characteristics of turf and pasture grasses affect performance of grass-feeding caterpillars and their vulnerability to pathogens or parasitoids. Larvae reared on different grasses will be challenged with natural enemies and reared to determine outcomes. Whether feeding on grasses with sharp edge spines synergizes baculovirus by disrupting the gut-lining peritrophic membrane will be tested. Biology of Bonnetia comta, a tachinid parasitoid BCW, will be studied, as well as the flies susceptibility to different classes of insecticides. Impacts of nicotinoids on beneficial species will be compared with tnewer classes of insecticides, especially anthranilic diamides which we expact are more compatible with conservation bio-control, using a combination of lab asays (e.g., with B. compta) and field plot trials in which abundance of beneficial insects and earthworms will be sampled following treatments. Hives with bumblebees, a native pollinator, will be placed on treated or non-treated plots with flowering weeds to assess relative impact on colony vigor. LC50 on earthworms will be assessed from lab assays, and sublethal effects on burrowing assessed with ant farm-like terraria. Tea seed meal, a natural botanical vermicide, will be evaluated for suppressing excessive earthworm casts on closely mowed playing surfaces. Earthworm species will be surveyed on golf courses to determine factors affectingtheir abundance and distribution. Replicated plots with numerous species and cultivars of elms, magnolias, and oaks will be monitored to assess host plant resistance to leaf miners, gall makers, scale insects, and defoliating pests. Ant-exclusion by sticky bands or baits will be evaluated for suppressing soft scales by depriving them of their honeydew-motivated ant bodyguards, thus promoting conservation biological control. Potential predators will screened for consumption of scales, and species of ant associates surveyed. If physical exclusion suppresses scales, bait stations in combination with predator-attracting lures (e.g., methyl salicylate) will be tested.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Scientists, homeowners, golf courseand landscape professionals Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A PhD student was graduated in Dec 2014 and placed in an extension faculty position with University of Nebraska. Another MS student and three undergraduates received research training, and two undergraduates did, or are doing, internships for credit in our lab. My team and I presented lectures and workshops at numerous trade conferences and field days where thousands of attendees received technical training and continuing education credits. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?My team presented dozens of extension/outreach talks for thousands of attendees at major trade conferences in Kentucky (e.g., KY Turfgrass Council, KY Nursery Association, Central KY Ornamental and Turf Assoc., Am Assoc Pesticide Safety Educators, etc.), and at major trade conferences in MI, NY, MD, PA, IN, NE, OH, VA and other states. We also contributed to scientific literacy of hundreds of KY schoolchildren through outreach teaching at the Lex Children's Emporium, Lex Community Night Insect Walk, Fayette Co. Science Fair, and similar venues. I did two national webinars on bees and pollinator conservation and presented keynote lectures at the First National Conference on Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes (NY), Sustainable Landscapes Conference (OH), and numerous state conferences. We published semi-technical summaries in several trade journals, and our projects were featured in UK AgMagazine, newspapers, local TV, websites (Scientific American, Yahoo News, AgProfessional.com, Southern Region IPM News, Honey-Love Urban Beekeepers). The Ag Communications Specialists who created stories on our pollinator work both earned 2014 national awards from the Association for Communications Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, Life and Human Sciences. Their story aired on local and statewide TV and nation-wide on the Rural TV and Rural Radio networks. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Pollinator assemblages were sampled and documented on 55 species of flowering woody ornamental landscape plants at >200 sites in central KY and southern OH to support recommendations for bee-friendly landscapes and spur demand for KYgrown nursery stock and sales of those plants by independent garden centers and other small businesses. Plots were established for a new study to evaluate clover lawns (three varieties) which require reduced inputs of water and fertilizer and help to support urban pollinators. Replicated stands of three representative woody landscape plants (hawthorn, holly, and clethra) were treated with two neonicotinoid insecticides (dinoterfuran or imidacloprid) in November, March (pre-bloom) or July (post-bloom) and nectar and pollen were collected to assess uptake and decay of insecticide residues. The objective is to develop Best Management Practices for homeowners and professionals to use systemic insecticides to control destructive insect pests in a manner that safeguards beneficial pollinators. Another study evaluated feasibility of using endophytic tall fescues to deter insects, birds, and mammalian herbivores to reduce strike hazard at airports. KY 31 tall fescue, a local variety developed at UK was compared to 'Avanex', a commercial New Zealand cultivar. The concept is sound, but neither of the tested grasses had enough deterrent activity against insects and earthworms to have immediate value as a bird-deterrent airport grass. Golf course naturalized roughs were evaluated as harborages for beneficial predatory insects and as templates for bee and monarch butterfly conservation. The research showed that such areas harbor diverse predatory insects and spiders, but they tend to remain there and provide only limited biological control services to mowed portions of the course. In contrast, wildflower plantings in golf course roughs supported >50 species of bees, monarch butterflies, and other pollinators and may have significant conservation value. The value of golf courses for pollinator conservation was promoted in national publications, webinars, and conferences. Seasonal biology of invasive Asian earthworms, an emerging pest of golf courses, gardens, and forests, was clarified, and biological and chemical vermicides were identified that mitigate the worms' excessive casting and damage. Novel reduced-risk insecticides were evaluated against white grubs, scale insects, aphids, and Japanese beetle and data were submitted to USDA/EPA to support new registrations.

Publications


    Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

    Outputs
    Target Audience: Homeowners, Professional Turf and Landscape Managers (e.g., arborists, tree nursery producers, lawn care providers, golf course superintendents, sport field managers), retail garden centers, Extension agents, landscape consultants, representatives of the agrichemical industry, and others. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Four graduate students, an undergraduate, and a recent MS graduate received research training; thousands of attendees at extension conferences, workshops, and field days received technical training and continuing education credits. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Members of my lab presented >35 outreach programs for thousands of attendees at annual conferences of the KY Turfgrass Council, KY Landscape & Nursery Association, Central KY Ornamental and Turf Association, UK Winter Educational Workshops, UK sponsored Field Days, and other venues. Most of those programs provided Continuing Education Credits required for land care professionals, and producers such as nursery growers and sod farmers to retain their certifications and pesticide apllicator credentials. We also contributed to scientific literacy of thousands of Kentucky schoolchildren thrrough ourreach teaching about insects at the community Night Insect Walk, Lexington Childrens' Emporium, Fayette Co. Science Fair, and visits to schools. Non-technical summaries of research were published in trade journals including Golf Course Management, Landscape Management, US Golf Association Research Online, KY Turfgrass Council/KY Sports Turf Managers Assoc. Magazine, UK AgMagazine, and Lexington Herald Leader, a national Golf Course Superintendents Assoc. webinar, Keynote addresses at several State trade conferences, and local/State TV and radio. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? 1) Continue developing research-based pollinator conservation initiatives for lawns and golf courses. 2) Evaluate ways to mitigate bee hazard from use of systemic insecticides on flowering trees and shrubs 3) Survey bee assemblages on 30-40 woody ornamental plant species to support bee-friendly plant recommendations, 4) Complete studies on managing invasive Asian earthworms that damage lawns, golf courses, and sport fields 3) Complete field evaluation of novel endophytic grass for wildlife management to reduce bird strike risk at airports.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? This project supports environmentally responsible management of insects and related pests that impact urban lawns and landscapes, golf courses, sport fields, and production nurseries. It supports pest control recommendations for homeowners, professional landscape managers, and nursery producers. For example, in 2013-14 we conducted studies to golf and sports turf managers to deal with invasive Asian earthworms whose casting activity can destroy playing surfaces, and we published research-based recommendations sustainable, Dutch-elm diseases-resistant tree cultivars for reforesting cityscapes devastated by emerald ash borer and other invasive tree pests. Recently our emphasis has shifted toward ecotoxicology, more specifically ways to manage lawn pests without haming bees and other beneficial insects, and approaches for modifying urban habitats for urban bee conservation. We showed that certain novel insecticides can be suitable replacements for more toxic pesticides used on lawns and landscapes. We documented impacts of lawn insecticides on bees and identfied best management protocols by which turf managers and homeowners can control pests without harming pollinators. Bee assemblages associated with flowering lawn weeds and flowering trees and shrubs were documented to support planting recommendations for bee-friendly landscapes. Benefits of sustainable lawn mowing practices in for conservation biological control of pests were documented. Optimal wildflower seed mixes were identified for use in establishing pollinator conservation plots on golf courses, parks, and rights-of-way. A novel endophytic grass was evaluated for suppressing insect and earthworm populations to reduce bird strike risk at airports. Dozens of extension/outreach talks provided timely information and CEUs for thousands of end-users. The primary research was published in high-impact scientific journals, and non-technical summaries were published in national trade magazines read by thousands of practitioners.

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Redmond CT, Kesheimer A, Potter DA (2013) Earthworm community composition, seasonal population structure, and casting activity on Kentucky golf courses. Appl. Soil Ecol. 75: 116-123
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Larson JL, Redmond CT, Potter DA (2014) Impacts of a neonicotinoid, neonicotinoid-pyrethroid premix, and anthranilic diamide insecticide on four species of turf-inhabiting beneficial insects. Ecotoxicology 23: 252-259.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Dobbs EK, Potter DA. (2014) Conservation biological control and insect pest performance in lawns: Does mowing height matter? Environ. Manag. 53: 648659.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Larson JL Redmond CT, Potter DA (2014). Mowing mitigates bioactivity of neonicotinoid insecticides in nectar of flowering lawn weeds and turfgrass guttation. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. In Press.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Larson JL, Kesheimer AJ, Potter DA (2014). Pollinator assemblages on dandelion and white clover in urban and suburban lawns. J. Insect Conservation 18:863-873


    Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

    Outputs
    Target Audience: Homeowners, Professional Turf and Landscape Managers (e.g., arborists, tree nursery producers, lawn care providers, golf course superintendents, sport field managers), retail garden centers, Extension agents, landscape consultants, representatives of the agrichemical industry, and others. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Three graduate students and two undergraduates received research training; thousands of attendees at extension conferences, workshops, and field days received technical training and continuing education credits. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Members of my lab presented >30 outreach programs for thousands of attendees at annual conferences of the KY Turfgrass Council, KY Landscape & Nursery Association, Central KY Ornamental and Turf Association, UK Winter Educational Workshops, UK sponsored Field Days, and other venues. Most of those programs provided Continuing Education Credits required for land care professionals, and producers such as nursery growers and sod farmers to retain their certifications and pesticide apllicator credentials. We also contributed to scientific literacy of thousands of Kentucky schoolchildren thrrough ourreach teaching about insects at the community Night Insect Walk, Lexington Childrens' Emporium, Fayette Co. Science Fair, and visits to schools. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? For the next reporting period we plan to: 1) Continue developing research-based pollinator conservation initiatives for Kentucky golf courses 2) Evaluate ways to mitigate bee hazard from use of systemic insecticides on flowering trees and shrubs 2) Expand research on management of invasive Asian earthworms that damage lawns, golf courses, and sport fields 3) transition from greenhouse studies to field evaluation of a novel endophytic grass for wildlife management to reduce bird strike risk at airports, and for manaing geese and other nuisance wildlife in public areas.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? This project adresses and solves insect problems of concern to homeowners, professional landscape managers, nursery growers, and other citizens. For example, in 2013 we published research-based recommendations for inseect-resistant, Dutch elm disease resistant tree cultivars for use in reforesting cityscapes devastated by the emerald ash borer. Our studies helped golf course superintendents and sport field managers deal with excessive earthworm casting that can ruin playing surfaces, and we investigated a new invasive Asian earthworm that is highly destructive to lawns, gardens, and forests. We evaluated novel, reduced risk insecticides and showed they can be suitable replacements for some of the more toxic pesticides used on lawns and landscapes. The United States is experiencing alarming declines in populations of bees and other pollinators so it is important that homeowners and professional landscape managers adopt land care practices that do not harm them. We evaluated impacts of lawn insecticides on bees and identfied protocols by which lawns, golf courses, and sport fields can be protected from pest damage without harming pollinators. Bees associated with urban and suburban lawns were surveyed for the first time. Research-based recommendations for lawn mowing that promote sustainability by conserving natural checks and balances on insect pests were developed. Optimal wildflower seed mixes were identified for use in establishing pollinator conservation plots on golf courses, parks, and other areas. Marriott Resorts is implementing pollinator conservation inititives on 42 North American resort golf courses based on our studies. We started a new study to evaluate a high-alkaloid endophytic grass for suppressing insect and earthworm populations to reduce bird strike risk at airports. That grass may also have value for discouraging Canada geese from browzing in parks, landscapes, and other public areas. Members of my lab presented >30 extension/outreach talks to provide timely information and continuing Education Credits for thousands of practitioners and other end-users. In addition to publishing articlesin high-impact scientific journals, we published non-technical summaries in national trade magazines read by tens of thousands of subscribers.

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Potter DA, Redmond CT (2013). Relative resistance or susceptibility of landscape-suitable elms (Ulmus spp.) to multiple insect pests. Arboric. Urban For. 39(5):236-243
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Larson JL, Redmond CT, Potter DA (2013). Assessing insecticide hazard to bumble bees foraging on flowering weeds in treated lawns. PLOS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066375
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Potter DA, Williams DW, Redmond CTa (2013). Management of excessive earthworm casts on golf courses and sport fields: A Review. Int. Turfgrass Soc. Res. J. 12:347-355
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Lee DW,Potter DA (2013) Effect of essential oils and paraffin oil on black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Weed & Turfgrass Sci.2: 6269.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2013 Citation: Redmond CT, Kesheimer A, Potter DA (2013) Earthworm community composition, seasonal population structure, and casting activity on Kentucky golf courses. Appl. Soil Ecol. In Press
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Keathley CP, Harrison RL, Potter DA (2012) Baculovirus infection of the armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) feeding on spiny- or smooth-edged grass (Festuca spp.) leaf blades. Biol. Control 61: 147-54.
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Larson JL, Potter DA (2013)Bee-friendly lawn care. Landscape Manage. Dec., 27-29.
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Dobbs EK (2013) Enhancing beneficial insect biodiversity and biological control in turf: Mowing Height, Naturalized Roughs, and Operation Pollinator
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Larson JL, Potter DA (2013)The plight of the bees. Golf Course Manage. Nov., 85-88
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Dobbs EK, Potter DA (2013)Operation pollinator for golf courses. Golf Course Manage. March, 100-103


    Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

    Outputs
    OUTPUTS: Impacts of lawn insecticides on urban pollinators were investigated in with realistic exposure in field settings. Bumble bee colonies exposed to neonicotinoid residues on flowering lawn weeds and in their nectar resulted in reduced foraging, impaired colony weight gain, and failure to produce new queens. Those impacts, however, were mitigated by mowing to remove flower heads after treatment. Chlorantraniliprole, representing a new insecticide class (anthranilic diamides) had no measurable impact on bees and is therefore a good fit for landscape usage. High biodiversity of bees and other pollinators foraging on lawns was documented across an urban-rural gradient. Replicated wildflower plots with KY-adapted blends of flowers designed to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators were established on six golf courses and monitored for bee biodiversity. Surveys of beneficial insects, biological control services, and herbivore performance suggested increased stability of lawns maintained at higher cutting height. A study on earthworm biodiversity and casting activity on golf courses was completed, and a damaging new invasive earthworm species was identified. A 7-year effort to evaluate Dutch-elm disease-resistant elms for relative resistance to 12 insect pests was completed. Initial assays with a high-alkaloid endophytic grass confirmed its potential value for reducing bird strike risk at airports. Members of my lab presented 42 outreach talks to thousands of attendees at the KY Turfgrass Council, KY Landscape & Nursery Association, and Central KY Ornamental and Turf Association's Annual Conferences, Winter Workshops, and/or Summer Field Days, Lexington Children's Emporium, and at out-of state conferences. PARTICIPANTS: Lab members: Daniel A. Potter (Professor and PI)conceived and executed research, mentored graduate students, procured extramural funding, wrote scientific and semi-technical papers, and presented findings at scientific and trade conferences and workshops. Carl T. Redmond, Ph.D (Research Scientist II) assisted PI with above activities and conducted independent research. Jonathan Larson and Emily Dobbs are Ph.D and MS graduate students, respectively. They were responsible for their own research, conducting field research, analyzing data, presenting at meetings, and writing manuscripts. Adam Kesheimer (BS)was a temporary lab technician who assisted the grad students, identified earthworm and bee samples, and prepared reference collections thereof. Samantha Marksbury is undergrad research assistant. She helped the graduate students and PIs with all projects and conducted an independent project presented at a national conference. Collaborators: David W. Williams and David McNear (UK Plant/Soil Science)lent agronomic technical support to our grass-related projects. TARGET AUDIENCES: Extension educators, landscape and sport field managers, lawn care providers, nursery growers, city planners, horticultural consultants, Master Gardeners, horticulture and turf science students, homeowners. Many members of ethnic minorities (Hispanic, African American) are employed in lawn, golf course, sport field, nursery, greenhouse, and landscape service; our educational outreach efforts reached many of those persons. For example, members of my lab presented 42 outreach talks to thousands of attendees at the KY Turfgrass Council, KY Landscape & Nursery Association, and Central KY Ornamental and Turf Association's Annual Conferences, Winter Workshops, and/or Summer Field Days, Lexington Children's Emporium, and at out-of state conferences. We also published several trade journal articles. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

    Impacts
    My program provides research-based solutions to problems caused by insect pests of urban landscapes throughout the US. For example, in 2012, our work 1) identified specific practices through which lawn care providers and homeowners can control lawn pests without harming bees and other pollinators, 2) identified Dutch elm disease-resistant elm cultivars that also resist most insect pests and are good choices for re-foresting city streets and landscapes, and 3) showed proof-of-concept for a high-alkaloid tall fescue grass that deters insect pests, and likely insectivorous birds and grass-feeding vertebrates such as geese, rabbits, and deer, and therefore may help to reduce bird- and animal strike hazard beside airport runways.

    Publications

    • Held, D.W., Potter, D.A.(2012). Prospects for managing turfgrass pests with reduced chemical inputs. Annual Review of Entomology 57:329-354.
    • Redmond, C.T., Williams D.W., Potter, D.A. (2012). Comparison of scarab grub populations and associated pathogens and parasitoids in warm- or cool-season grasses used on transitional zone golf courses. Journal of Economic Entomology 105: 1320-1328.
    • Seagraves, B.L., Redmond, C.T., Potter, D.A. (2012). Relative resistance or susceptibility of maple (Acer) species, hybrids and cultivars to six arthropod pests of production nurseries. Pest Management Science DOI: 10.1002/ps.3375.
    • Keathley, C.P., Potter, D.A. (2012). Arthropod abundance in tall fescue, Lolium arundinaceum, pastures containing novel 'safe' endophytes. Journal of Applied Entomology 136:576-587.
    • Larson, J.L., Redmond, C.T., Potter, D.A. (2012). Comparative impact of an anthranilic diamide and other insecticidal chemistries on beneficial invertebrates and ecosystem services in turfgrass. Pest Management Science 68:740-748.
    • Bixby-Brosi, A.J., Potter, D.A. 2012. Endophyte-mediated tritrophic interactions between a grass-feeding caterpillar and two parasitoid species with different life histories. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 6: 27-34.
    • Bixby-Brosi, A.J., Potter, D.A. 2012. Can a chitin-synthesis-inhibiting turfgrass fungicide enhance black cutworm susceptibility to a baculovirus Pest Management Science 68:324-329.
    • Potter, D.A. and Maier, R.M. (2012). Mound-building ants on golf courses, in: Handbook of turfgrass insect pests, R. Brandenburg and C. Freeman (eds.), Entomological Society of America, Landham, MD, p. 65-67.
    • Bixby-Brosi, A., Potter, D.A. (2012). Beneficial and innocuous invertebrates in turf. in: Handbook of turfgrass insect pests, R. Brandenburg and C. Freeman (eds.), Entomological Society of America, Landham, MD, p. 87-93.
    • Redmond, C.T., Umeda, C., Potter, D.A. (2012). Masked chafer, in: Handbook of turfgrass insect pests, R. Brandenburg and C. Freeman (eds.), Entomological Society of America, Landham, MD, p. 53-55.
    • Potter, D.A., Redmond, C.T., and Williams, D.W. 2012. Organic solution to reduce earthworm casts. New Zealand Turf Management Journal. Winter 2012: 4-10.
    • Potter, D.A., C.T. Redmond and D.W. Williams. 2012. Regenwurmablagerungen. Austrian Greenkeeper News. 46: 3-6


    Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

    Outputs
    OUTPUTS: Compatibility with pollinator conservation was compared among different classes of lawn insecticides, including a new anthranilic diamide that may have little or no impact. Bees and other pollinators visiting flowering weeds in suburban lawns were surveyed for biodiversity and what types may be at risk of exposure. Biodiversity of beneficial insects was surveyed in golf course naturalized areas, and in high or low-mowed turf plots, and sentinel prey (pest insects) were exposed in, and at varying distances from such areas to assess their contribution to biological control. Replicated wildflower plots with KY-adapted blends of flowers designed to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators were established on six golf courses for biodiversity surveys to be conducted in 2012-2013. A saponin-rich organic by-product of tea oil manufacture was evaluated for mitigation of earthworm casts, a worldwide problem on closely mowed turf playing surfaces, and studies to determine the species responsible for casting and their seasonal biology were initiated. Flowering perennials were screened for attracting beneficial wasps that parasitize lawn grubs, and continued evaluations of 20 species or cultivars of Dutch-elm disease-resistant elms in the National Elm Trial provided new information on the trees' relative resistance to scale insects, weevils, and other pests. Trials showed that increased use of "livestock-friendly" improved tall fescue forages having soft texture or lacking ergot alkaloids is unlikely to aggravate insect injury to pastures. Studies of tri-trophic effects of endophytic lawn grasses on parasitoids having different life histories provided insight on how host plant resistance can be integrated with biological control. Members of my lab presented 40 outreach talks to thousands of attendees at the KY Turfgrass Council, KY Landscape & Nursery Association, and Central KY Ornamental and Turf Association's Annual Conferences, Winter Workshops, and/or Summer Field Days, Lexington Children's Emporium, and at out-of state conferences. PARTICIPANTS: Daniel A. Potter (PI),Professor of Entomology; Carl T. Redmond, PhD., Research Analyst II; PhD Graduate Students: Andrea Bixby-Brosi, Craig Keathley, and Jonathan Larson; MS graduate students: Emily Dobbs and Jennie Condra; undergraduate research assistants: Adam Kesheimer and Sarah Barney. Partner Organizations: Idlehour Golf Course, Kearney Hills Golf Course, Lexington Country Club,Lakeside Golf Course, University Club Golf Course, Lexington Fayette County Urban Government, numerous otehr golf courses and sod farms Collaborators: David W. Williams, PhD. (Plant and Soil Science), John Hartman, PhD. (Plant Pathology), Rebecca Schnelle, PhD. and Sarah Vanek (Horticulture), all University of Kentucky. Training and professional development: Two undergraduate students, thousands of attendees at extension venues and trade conferences TARGET AUDIENCES: Extension educators, golf course superintendents, landscape and sport field managers, production and retail nursery operators, landscape architects, city planners, horticultural consultants, Master Gardeners, horticulture and turf science students, homeowners PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

    Impacts
    Our lab is influential in supporting environmental pest management for urban landscapes in the US and worldwide. Our research is published in high impact journals and presented at major scientific conferences, but we also publish in trade magazines and speak at venues for non-scientists (school children, educators, landscape practitioners) who can learn from and use our findings. The PI, for example, has been invited to present the Keynote Address for Pest Management at the 2013 International Turfgrass Conference (in Beijing), and in 2011 coauthored (with a former UK grad student) the first Annual Review article (top Impact Factor among Entomology journals) on turf insects in >20 years. Our research on earthworm cast mitigation, published first in an international peer-reviewed journal, was also featured in US trade journals and subsequently reprinted in magazines in Germany, Spain, and New Zealand. The botanical product was deemed intellectual property by UK, leading to a commercial agreement with a company that began paying royalties to the University in 2011. Our work in conservation biological control and pollinator conservation is influential - it is the first to survey bees on urban lawns, first to assess risks of modern urban landscape insecticides to bees and other beneficial insects using realistic exposures, first to assess the ecosystem services provided by established naturalized areas in turf settings, and first to establish bee conservation research plots on US golf courses. Another of our projects provided assurance that pasture grasses being developed by UK scientists and the USDA Forage-Animal Production Research Unit (FAPRU) for improved livestock performance will not aggravate pasture insect outbreaks, and our black cutworm studies provide insights on integrating microbial and biological control with pest-resistant endophytic grasses. In 2011 we published high-impact refereed journals, trade magazines, and extension bulletins, had three book chapters accepted for publication in 2012. We presented talks to thousands of scientists and end-users.

    Publications

    • Redmond, C.T., Potter, D.A. (2010). Incidence of turf-damaging white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and associated pathogens and parasitoids on Kentucky golf courses. Environ. Entomol. 39:1838-1847.
    • Keathley C.P, Potter, D.A. (2010). Does modification of tall fescue leaf texture and forage nutritive value for improved livestock performance increase suitability for a grass-feeding caterpillar Crop Sci. 51:370-380.
    • Vanek, S.J., Potter, D.A. (2010). Ant-exclusion to promote biological control of soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on woody landscape plants. Environmental Entomology 39:1829-1837
    • Keathley, C.P., Potter, D.A. (2011). Behavioral plasticity of a grass-feeding caterpillar in response to spiny- or smooth-edged leaf blades. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 5: 339-349.
    • Keathley, C.P., Potter, D.A. (2011). Arthropod abundance in tall fescue, Lolium arundinaceum, pastures containing novel safe endophytes. J. Appl. Entomol. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2011.01698
    • Bixby-Brosi, A.J.., Potter, D.A. (2011). Can a chitin synthesis inhibiting turfgrass fungicide enhance black cutworm susceptibility to a baculovirus Pest Manag. Sci. DOI 10.1002/ps.2252
    • Bixby-Brosi, A.J., Potter, D.A. (2011). Parasitoid life history strategy influences endophyte mediated tritrophic interactions with a grass-feeding caterpillar. Arthropod-Plant Interactions. DOI 10.1007/s11829-011-9163-2
    • Larson, J.L., Redmond, C.T., Potter, D.A. (2011). Comparative impact of an anthranilic diamide and other insecticidal chemistries on beneficial invertebrates and ecosystem services in turfgrass. Pest Manag, Sci. DOI 10.1002/ps.2321
    • Potter, D.A., Redmond, C.T., and Williams, D.W. 2011. The worm turns: earthworm cast reduction on golf courses. Golf Course Management, Sept. 2011, pp. 86-96.
    • Potter, D.A., Redmond, C.T., and Williams, D.W. 2011. Controlling earthworm casts on golf courses. U.S. Golf Assoc. Green Section Record 49: 1-4.
    • Hartman, J., Dixon, E., Potter, D.A., Hart, J., Fountain W. National elm trial-Kentucky data, 2010. UK Nursery/Landscape Program Research Report. UK-PR 602, p. 24-25.