Elm Leaf Beetle Control Studies in New Mexico, 1995

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Abstract Twenty-eight lacebark elm trees or tree groups in the Tom Bolack Urban Forestry Park, Albuquerque, NM, were assigned to 4 groups and analyzed as a RCB design. Trees assigned to receive the Merit® 75WP soil drench were treated on 12 May by applying 1 g AI per inch of trunk diam measured at 3 ft above ground level (AGL). Diam ranged from 6.5-36 inches total trunk diam and required 6.5-36 g Al/tree applied in 1 gal water per 100 sq. ft of active root area (to dripline). No special irrigation water was applied, but in the normal watering schedule the trees were drip irrigated that week. Other treatments were made utilizing a commercial piston pump sprayer at 400 psi. The variable gun nozzle required about 5 gal of spray mixture per tree to attain runoff. A foliar fertilizer was added as a spray buffer and foliar feed. Pretreatment evaluations were made by searching the randomly selected trees for hatched elm leaf beetle egg masses. In a few cases unhatched egg masses were included if required to have a total of 5 marked stems per tree. Each infested stem was marked 6–8 inches above the infested area with plastic flagging. Posttreatment evaluations were made by locating each marked limb and enumerating the numbers of live larvae.