Creating Functional Habitats on Golf Courses as a True IPM Approach

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1 Creating Functional Habitats on Golf Courses as a True IPM Approach Adam Dale, PhD Entomology & Nematology Department

2 Florida s Golf Industry Over 1,100 golf courses and nearly 525 golf communities The average course is over 100 acres Provide multiple benefits for people and the environment Cooling, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat

3 Golf Courses are Valuable Urban Green Spaces Golf courses can support greater arthropod abundance and diversity than parks and gardens in urban landscapes Size Structural complexity of plants Mata et al Scientific Reports

4 But, maintaining these benefits is not easy Pests Clientele demands Drought & heat Legal restrictions on management tools

5 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Combining multiple management strategies to promote ecosystem and plant health, and reduce damaging pests Making management decisions based on insect and plant biology and ecology, economic losses and gains, environmental impacts, and effects on people

6 Golf Course Out-of-Play Areas 67% of U.S. golf course acreage is maintained turfgrass Since 1996, non-turf acreage has increased by ~50% 40-70% of U.S. golf course acreage is out-of-play Often composed of maintained turfgrass

7 Functional Out-of-Play Areas Benefits: 1. Conserve threatened wildlife 2. Reduce insect pest management needs 3. Reduce irrigation, fertilization, and mowing 4. Increase public relations

8 Pollinator Conservation Native bees (300 species in FL, >4000 in the U.S.) Pollinate a diverse community of plants Many specialist pollinators Recently endangered bumble bee Pollinator decline: a local & global challenge

9 Pollinator habitat initiatives Operation Pollinator (Syngenta) Monarch Waystation Program Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat Program

10 Pollinators do more than Pollinate Predatory and parasitic wasps and flies are also active pollinators Caterpillar predators/parasitoids Beetle predators/parasitoids Enemies of other damaging pests

11 Research objectives 1. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on pollinator conservation 2. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on natural enemy conservation 3. Determine if natural enemy conservation translates to biological control of pests

12 Wildflower habitats Convert out-of-play areas of managed turf to native wildflower habitats Three, 5,000 ft 2 plots per course in out-of-play areas One turfgrass control plot One mix of 4 species (LOW) One mix of 8 species (HIGH) Three golf courses in Gainesville and Ocala, FL

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14 Site selection & preparation Site selection Out-of-play Well-drained Full sun Mid-to-late fall Herbicide applications Fluazifop (Fusilade) 2-3 apps Glyphosate (RoundUP) if needed 4 weeks later: Cleared off dead plant material Exposed soil for seeding

15 Site selection & preparation

16 Wildflower species mixes Time in Bloom Complex Species Mix Annual/Perennial Spring Summer Fall Winter Biennial Linaria canadensis Coreopsis lanceolata Coreopsis basalis Gaillardia pulchella Monarda punctata Conoclinium coelestinum Spermacoce verticillata Liatris gracillis Solidago stricta Perennial Annual Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Time in Bloom Simple Species Mix Annual/Perennial Spring Summer Fall Winter Perennial Coreopsis lanceolata Gaillardia pulchella Spermacoce verticillata Liatris gracillis Solidago stricta Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial

17 September 2016 April 2017

18 Research objectives 1. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on pollinator conservation 2. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on natural enemy conservation 3. Determine in natural enemy conservation translates to biological control of pests

19 Survey for pollinating insects Undergraduate student, Grace Cope Monthly pollinator surveys Bee bowls Pollinator nest traps ( mm diameter reeds) Weekly monitoring

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21 Wildflowers Boost Pollinator Abundance Collected 15 different families of pollinating insects Wildflowers supported ~2X as many pollinators as turf F 2,4 = 12.89, P= A Mean Pollinator Abundance B A Control Low High Wildflower Treatment

22 Wildflower Diversity Affects Native Bees Collected 13 different genera of native bees >2.5X more native bees in high diversity wildflower plots F 2,4 = 20.31, P= A Average Native Bee Abundance B B Control Low High Wildflower Treatment

23 Research objectives 1. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on pollinator conservation 2. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on natural enemy conservation 3. Determine in natural enemy conservation translates to biological control of pests

24 Survey for predators & parasitoids Undergraduate student, Rebecca Perry Monthly survey of flying natural enemies Yellow sticky cards, and bee bowls Pachodynerus erynnis

25 Wildflower Presence Affects Natural Enemy Richness Natural enemy family-level richness was equal across wildflower diversity levels, but greater than in turf A Number of Natural Enemy Families F 2,4 = 3.55, P= B A CONTROL LOW HIGH Wildflower Treatment

26 Wildflower Diversity Affects Natural Enemy Abundance Natural enemy abundance increased with wildflower diversity Mean Natural Enemy Abundance F 2,4 = 26.77, P= B B A CONTROL LOW Wildflower Treatment HIGH

27 Research objectives 1. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on pollinator conservation 2. Determine the effect of wildflower habitats on natural enemy conservation 3. Determine if natural enemy conservation translates to biological control of pests

28 Biological control Experiment 1m 4m 10m 20m Wildflower Plot 1m 4m 10m 20m 16 fall armyworm larvae traps around each plot Set out for 36 hours Collected larvae and determined fate: Partially eaten Missing Dead Alive

29 Presence of Wildflowers Increases Biological Control On average, areas adjacent to wildflower plots had ~50% greater biological control than turfgrass plots F 2,2 =12.68, P< A A Percent Control B 50 CONTROL LOW HIGH Wildflower Treatment

30 Conclusions Creating wildflower habitats on FL golf courses: 1. Increased native pollinator abundance 2. Increased the abundance and diversity of beneficial predators and parasitoids 3. Increased biological control of turfgrass caterpillar pests 4. Wildflower diversity level matters for native bee and natural enemy conservation

31 Future Directions Incorporation into Golf Course BMP recommendations Monarch conservation in out-ofplay areas Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program Monarchs in the Rough Develop cost/benefit and plot management guidelines for golf course superintendents

32 Thank you! Follow us Visit lab website Funding provided by: UF/IFAS Research UF/IFAS Extension FL Golf Course Superintendent s Association Syngenta Crop Protection Video created by Matt Borden, Rebecca Perry, & Grace Cope