Viewpoint
“
When control is needed, the pest life cycle is paramount to success. Understanding this can help determine solutions
changing grass species, from an all fescue to a rye mix, thicken the sward and create a turf environment where it is more challenging for the beetle to access the soil to lay eggs and help prevent infestation? Assessing natural predators and identifying and encouraging species that cause minimal disruption to turf is another tactic evident. For chafer beetles - foxes, badgers, magpies, crows, starlings and bats are amongst natural predators - considering which predators minimise damage to your turf is prudent. In this case bats, which consume flying beetles, and starlings, with their thin long beaks to minimise surface disruption, would likely be the two primary species of choice for a turf manager to encourage. Recent articles by Edward Ainsworth, Course Manager at Avro Golf Club, have highlighted how understanding the habitat requirements for bats and birds can improve the successful installation of boxes and encourage positive populations of bats and starlings. When control is needed, understanding the
pest’s life cycle is paramount to success and can help determine solutions. Pheremone traps for chafer grubs are evident throughout a number of courses, with course managers in some cases trapping ‘thousands of flying beetles’ over the last few months. Planning and budgeting for biological solutions is essential - in this case nematodes. For our business, adopting biological controls to our product range and contracts operations has given us over five years of knowledge and understanding on application best practice and optimum conditions. Surely, soon, we will see economies of scale benefit with pack sizes and prices more suited to large scale application requirements. Where plant disease is concerned, plant
and soil health is the turf manager’s primary focus. Knowing what nutrients are available in the soil and to the plant is key, and then ensuring that you fully understand any product’s inputs (by checking the product label) is vital. Tackling nutritional deficiency and providing a balanced approach is helping to combat the risk of disease, and this is becoming more evident with a ‘bio-rationale’
16 I PC JUNE/JULY 2017
approach to plant and soil health being adopted by many. The modern day turf manager’s
understanding of the symbiotic relationships between bacteria and the plant is advancing and, increasingly, turf managers are avoiding the need to apply fungicide by creating an environment which helps minimise the risk of plant disease. Many more are monitoring disease pressure and adopting preventative programmes, using data, assessing conditions and applying a scientific approach to disease management is more evident. Herbicides still constitute an essential part of the turf manager’s armoury and perhaps are the least under threat of the three pesticide bands (insecticide, fungicide, herbicide). As scrutiny from legislative bodies increases, and we see more frequent amendments to application rates and more withdrawals of products which have not completed their expected life cycle from when approval was issued, the challenge is to attain efficacy and meet financial budget aspirations for control. As chemical companies feel the impact of
legislation, it is likely their strategy will be to try to limit the risk of withdrawal, i.e. if a product has three active ingredients and a number of co-formulants, it is far more likely to get withdrawn for one of the reasons outlined above, than a product containing just a single one of the three active ingredients and less co-formulants. The challenge for industry and end users will be to maximise efficacy and control through responsible and safe tank mixing procedures and applications. The changes will require more research, wider end user knowledge - and the industry, as a whole, has a challenge and obligation to provide this. Effectively sharing best IPM practice, networking and providing quality education on all matters will be integral to the speed of successful adaptation and evolution of the amenity sector.
Dan Hughes is Sales & Marketing Director at Maxwell Amenity Ltd.
You can read James Grundy’s article on chafer grub and leatherjacket control on page 110 of this issue
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