The Canadian Turfgrass Research Foundation: Update on current research projects
The CTRF is currently funding the following four research projects across Canada on the developemnt of pesticide alternatives and turfgrass plants better adapted to Canadian winters:
· Organic control strategy for turfgrass snow molds
· Biocontrol of dandelion and other broadleaf weeds
· Development and implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on golf courses
New RCGA Environmental Guidelines Now Available
Interest in the game of golf in Canada remains high and the golf industry is faced with the challenge of providing facilities suitable to all participants while safeguarding our natural resources. The Royal Canadian Golf Association recognizes the need for a partnership among golfers, the general public, designers and developers, general managers, golf professionals and superintendents of golf courses, all of whom share a responsibility to conserve and protect the environment. The RCGA Green Section in collaboration with representatives from the turfgrass, golf and environmental industries have completed the revision of the RCGA Environmental Guidelines initially created in 1993.
Environmental Guidelines - Click Here
Entomopathogenic Nematodes: The Good Worms
Turfgrass managers in Canada are currently under pressure to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and to consider biological agents such as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). EPN are microscopic unsegmented worms living in harmony with bacteria and known to kill several insect pests. They are harmless to people, animals and anything with a skeleton.
Numerous studies on golf courses or other turfgrass habitats have shown the application of EPN to have good potential against major turfgrass insect pests. Alternative methods such as EPN are generally more expensive and provide less consistent control of insect pests than traditional pesticides. However, the isolation of new EPN strains/species adapted to golf course management practices and specific to major insect pests of golf courses could be one strategy for improving their efficacy. With this premise, researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada conducted an extensive survey for EPN in the provinces of Ontario and Québec with the objective of isolating EPN better adapted to our climate and golf course conditions. Soil samples were collected on 38 golf courses located in different parts of Ontario and Quebec. Several hundred samples from greens, fairways and roughs were brought back to the laboratory for EPN isolation and identification. EPN were found only in the rough and Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae and S. kraussei were the most abundant nematodes isolated on golf courses. These nematodes are currently being tested in the laboratory for their ability to control insect pests such as European cranefly (tipula paludosa) and black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon).
Results from this research project conducted through a collaborative research agreement between the Ontario Golf Superintendents’ Association and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have just been published in the Scientific Journal Nematology. Please contact Dr. Louis Simard if you are interested to get a copy of the article simardl@agr.gc.ca
Pesticide Debate Continues
As of July 5, 2007, a total of 130 Canadian municipalities have adopted a by-law restricting the use of pesticides. Of those, 91 are in Quebec, 24 in Ontario, 9 in BC, 4 in New Brunswick and one in each of Manitoba and Nova Scotia. The Pesticides Management Code enacted by the province of Quebec in 2002 has essentially stopped the creation of any new municipal by-laws in that province. The most active province is now Ontario with several more communities currently discussing pesticide by-laws.
Municipalities are concerned with the potential exposure of their citizens to pesticides that have been applied to lawns. Most admit that there are no studies that directly link lawn and garden pesticides to negative health effects, but are concerned that there may be some cumulative effects with exposure to other chemicals in the environment or other long term effects. Their logic is that even if there is no direct evidence, they should err on the side of caution and eliminate these products. In most cases, it is the elected officials that are calling for these by-laws, not the technical staff who are expressing these concerns. This has become a very emotional and political issue and there is enough public support for eliminating these products that elected officials feel the need to react.
Advocates for eliminating pesticides express their greatest concerns are for children and animals since they are smaller, closer to the ground and unable to read pesticide warning signs that have been posted.
The RCGA Green Section has been working with the other golf associations as part of the Ontario Allied Golf Associations to explain why an exemption for golf courses within municipal pesticide by-laws is reasonable. Golf courses are quite different from lawns since they have controlled access in the form of fences and green fees. Pesticides are expense items that are used only when needed and are applied by licensed professionals trained in their use. Golf is played on turfgrass and its condition is not a cosmetic issue, but rather one of maintaining a quality playing surface. Also, provincial regulations require a notice to be posted at the front gate, 1st and 10th tees and pro shop whenever something is being applied. This notice must include the date of application, name of the product that has been applied and a contact number for more information. This provides golfers, neighbors and the general public with the resources to make an informed decision whether or not to access the property that day.
In most cases, the allied associations have been successful in securing exemptions for golf by requiring a golf course to become Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Accredited. This program was developed in Ontario and has become available in New Brunswick since we first reported on it in the August 2005 issue of RCGA Green Section News. The program involves an exam, annual written audits and on-site audits every three years. The greatest value of this program is the ability of a golf course to prove they are indeed practicing IPM. For more information about IPM Accreditation, go to: http://www.ontarioipm.com
It has been our experience that an organized, unified voice on this issue is the best approach when dealing with municipalities. If your municipality is contemplating a pesticide by-law, contact us and we will try to help organize the clubs and golf associations in the affected area. Please call Teri Yamada at: 1-800-263-0009 ext. 258.