Phenology and sampling crawlers of rhodesgrass mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Georgia golf course putting greens.

Abstract

Rhodesgrass mealybug, Antonina graminis Maskell (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is an emerging pest of turfgrass in Georgia golf course putting greens. Because the feeding damage of A. graminis severely affects the aesthetics of the putting surface, it is necessary to understand the phenology of A. graminis on putting greens. To develop management strategies, the temporal emergence of crawlers is determined; however, a sampling tool for A. graminis crawlers on putting greens has not been developed. Thus, the objectives were to determine (i) the phenology of A. graminis and turfgrass quality and (ii) the best trap types for sampling crawlers on the putting greens in Georgia. From 2019 to 2022, 10-20 turfgrass plugs were sampled from the putting greens at biweekly intervals from the spring to fall. The numbers of crawlers, sessile nymphs, and adults of A. graminis were quantified from these plug samples. To determine the best trap types for sampling crawlers, 6 trap types were evaluated on the putting greens in 2021 and 2022. In the spring, the A. graminis densities remained low until June or July, then all stages of A. graminis increased. In the late fall and winter, A. graminis densities declined and remained low. The turfgrass quality improved temporally from April to June but progressively declined from the mid-to-late summer to fall. Significantly greater numbers of crawlers were sampled in the paper-folded sticky card method than in the turfgrass plug method. Thus, sticky traps could be used to sample crawlers for pest management decision.