Abstract
Field and greenhouse studies were conducted in Georgia and South Carolina to determine the tolerance and antibiosis effects of 15 St. Augustinegrass genotypes against the southern chinch bug. ‘Floratam’ and ‘Floralawn’ cultivars were highly resistant to southern chinch bug populations in Georgia and South Carolina. When southern chinch bugs were caged on Floratam for 37 days in a greenhouse study, both survivorship and adult reproduction were either stopped or significantly reduced. Color and quality ratings of heavily infested field plantings of ‘Raleigh’ were not significantly reduced even though this cultivar had the highest chinch bug density. Color and quality ratings for ‘Amerishade’ were significantly lower than all other cultivars. The data suggested that the St. Augustinegrass genotypes exhibited different levels of tolerance to infestation by southern chinch bug. The results called into question the established treatment threshold of 20 to 25 chinch bugs per 0.1 m2, which does not consider the tolerance levels among St. Augustinegrass cultivars. Numbers of the predator Lasiochilus palidulus also varied by genotype and were least abundant in the resistant cultivars and most abundant in ‘Winchester.’
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
