Summer Control of Hairy Chinch Bug at Site Two on Established Fescue Turfgrass in Somerset, Pennsylvania, 1991

Abstract

Abstract The turfgrass area consisted primarily of fine leafed fescue. Treatment plots were 5 × 6 ft arranged in a randomized complete block design, replicated 3 times. Liquid and SP form were applied by using a CO2 sprayer with 4 8004VS Teejet nozzles mounted on a 6 ft boom, operating at 30 psi, and delivering 4 gal/1000 ft'. Granular formulations (G) were applied with a hand-held shaker and mixed with a fine grade top dressing sand to facilitate product distribution. At treatment time (7 Aug) the following soil and environmental conditions existed: air temperature, 86°F; soil temperature at 1 inch depth, 84°F; soil temperature at 2 inch depth, 76°F; RH, 30%; amount of thatch, 0.75-1.5 inches; soil type, loam; soil particle size analysis: 47.3% sand, 35.1% silt, 17.6% clay; soil moisture (oven baked), 11.3%; organic matter, 3.1%; water pH, 6.0; soil pH, 6.4; and 0.3 inch of rainfall was recorded over the posttreatment period. Immediately after treatment the experimental area was irrigated with 0.25 inch of water. Posttreatment counts were made 13 Aug, 6 d after the initial treatment. Hairy chinch bugs were sampled by driving a 6 inch-diam stainless steel cylinder into the turf, filling it with water, and counting the no. of chinch bug nymphs and adults floating to the surface during a 15 min period. Three flotation samples were taken randomly from each replicate, and the total no. of chinch bugs from each sample was recorded and converted to a ft2 count.