University of Georgia

A website from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Turfgrass and Ornamental Entomology

Research

Turfgrass and ornamental plants are valued commodities in Georgia. Several pests directly feed or transmit pathogens to turfgrasses in sod farms, golf courses, residential and public lawns as well as ornamental plants in nurseries and landscapes. Direct feeding or arthropod-transmitted agents (such as microorganisms, viruses, or bacteria) -related losses do not always result in plant mortality. These pest interactions on ornamental plants often affect the appearance or aesthetics of plants, which can lead to economic losses, especially in nurseries and sod farms, or golf courses. In addition, ornamental landscapes support diverse groups of arthropods, such as predators, parasitoids, and pollinators. Conservation of beneficial organisms is critical as they are integral to the food web and provide pollination services across multiple ecosystems. My research program falls into the following three themes:

1. Enhance understanding of biology, ecology, and behavior of key arthropod pests affecting turfgrass and ornamental commodities.

Understanding the phenology and seasonal dynamics of pests is essential to develop pest monitoring tools and management strategies. For example, we have been investigating phenology, seasonal dynamics, and the influence of abiotic and biotic factors of many arthropod pests, such as ambrosia beetle in field nurseries, vector of rose rosette disease Phyllocoptes fructiphilus, etc.

Some key publications:

  • Singh, G., and S. V. Joseph. 2022. Influence of turfgrass parameters on abundance of arthropods in sod farms. Environ. Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvac075
  • Monterrosa, A., S. V. Joseph, B. Blaauw, W. Hudson, A. L. Acebes. 2022. Ambrosia beetle occurrence and phenology of Xylosandrus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in ornamental nurseries, tree fruit and pecan orchards in Georgia. Environ. Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvac064
  • Monterrosa, A., M. Paret, R. Ochoa, A. Ulsamer and S. V. Joseph. 2022. Temporal incidence of eriophyid mites on rose rosette disease-symptomatic and -asymptomatic roses in central Georgia, USA. Pathogens. 11: 228. doi:10.3390/pathogens11020228
  • Gireesh, M., J. P. Rijal, and S. V. Joseph. 2021. Spatial distribution of hunting billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in sod farms. Insects. 12(5), 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12050402
  • Gireesh, M., and S. V. Joseph. 2020. Seasonal occurrence and abundance of billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Georgia sod farms. J. Econ. Entomol. 113: 2319–2327. doi: 10.1093/jee/toaa133.

2. Develop strategies to manage existing and emerging pest issues

a. Improve the monitoring tool

The development of monitoring tools is an essential component of IPM. Recent research involved projects that focused on refining monitoring tools. Some of the pests, such as ambrosia beetles, Rhodesgrass mealybugs, and hunting billbugs, where some research was conducted.

 Some key publications:

  • Khan, F., and S. V. Joseph. 2022. Vertical distribution of predator-prey interactions within turfgrass. J. Insect Sci. 22(5): 3; 1–7.
  • Khan, F., and S. V. Joseph. 2021. Characterization of impressions created by turfgrass arthropods on clay models. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 169: 508-518. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13000
  • Monterrosa, A.*, A. L. Acebes, B. Blaauw, S. V. Joseph. 2021. Effects of trap, and ethanol lure type and age on attraction of ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 114: 1647–1654. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab089
  • Gireesh, M., and S. V. Joseph. 2021. Surface movement of billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in harvested and nonharvested sod. J. Econ. Entomol. 114: 231–237. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa277

b. Develop, improve or refine tactics, including host plant resistance, fertilizer use, behavior, biological control, and chemical control

Effective management strategies for insect pests can be developed if it is built on ecological principles. Many management tactics are being examined for many important pests. Some tactics, such as biological, cultural, mechanical, host-plant resistance, and chemical control, are under investigation. Insect growth regulators (IGR), such as novaluron, pyriproxyfen, etc., are used to manage pests in ornamental plants. One of the research areas under focus is to characterize the transovarial activity of IGRs on key pests in ornamental plants. Strategies that improve integrated pest management (IPM)are also under investigation, such as application timing of management tactics, understanding the repellency behavior of pests, improving the monitoring tools, etc.

Some key publications:

  • Joseph, S. V.  2022. Effects of insect growth regulators on ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J. Entomol. Sci. 57: 380-393. https://doi.org/10.18474/JES21-73
  • Singh, G., C. Waltz, and S. V. Joseph. 2021. Potassium and nitrogen impact on survival and development of fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Entomol. Sci. 56: 411-423. https://doi.org/10.18474/JES20-58
  • Joseph, S. V., R. Wolverton, and J-H. Chong. 2021.Efficacy of selected insecticides in reducing rhodesgrass mealybug abundance on golf course greens. J. Agri. Urban Entomol. 37: 10-21. https://doi.org/10.3954/JAUE21-07
  • Singh, G., S. V. Joseph, B. M. Schwartz. 2020. Screening newly developed bermudagrasses for host plant resistance against fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). HortScience. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI15293-20.
  • Joseph, S. V. 2020. Repellent effects of insecticides on Stephanitis pyrioides (Hemiptera: Tingidae) under laboratory conditions. Crop Prot. 127, 104985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2019.104985.
  • Joseph, S. V. 2019.Transovarial effects of insect growth regulator on Stephanitis pyrioides (Hemiptera: Tingidae). Pest Manag. Sci. doi: 10.1002/ps.5342.

3. Conservation of beneficial insects   

a. Understanding the role of natural enemies in managed systems

One of the major focuses of many research projects is understanding the ecology and behavior of natural enemies in the ecosystem. Many factors influence their interactions with each other, including pests in the turfgrass and ornamental systems.

Some key publications:

  • Singh, G., and S. V. Joseph. 2022. Influence of turfgrass parameters on abundance of arthropods in sod farms. Environ. Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvac075
  • Khan, F., and S. V. Joseph. 2022. Vertical distribution of predator-prey interactions within turfgrass. J. Insect Sci. 22(5): 3; 1–7.
  • Khan, F. Z. A., and S. V. Joseph. 2022. Assessment of predatory activity in residential lawns and sod farms. Biological Control. 169: 104885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2022.104885
  • Khan, F. Z. A., and S. V. Joseph. 2021. Influence of the color, shape, and size of the clay model on arthropod interactions in turfgrass. J. Insect Sci. 21:15, https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieab070
  • Khan, F., and S. V. Joseph. 2021. Characterization of impressions created by turfgrass arthropods on clay models. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 169: 508-518. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13000

b. Develop strategies to improve ecosystem services provided by pollinators

Pollinators are an important group of organisms providing pollination services to many agroecosystems. Current research is focused on documenting the incidence and abundance of pollinators in various turfgrass and ornamental systems and how their utilization of resources in ornamental landscapes can be improved. In addition, research is focused on improving pollinator health by providing nesting and diverse food resources in turfgrass and ornamental systems.

Some key publications:

  • Joseph, S. V.,and C. B. Hardin*. 2022. Bees forage on bahiagrass spikelets. Florida Entomol. 105 (1): 95-98. https://journals.flvc.org/flaent/article/view/129352.
  • Joseph, S. V., K. Harris-Shultz, and D. Jespersen. 2020. Evidence of pollinators foraging on centipedegrass inflorescences. Insects. 11: 795; doi:10.3390/insects11110795
  • Joseph, S. V., K. Harris-Shultz, D. Jespersen, B. Vermeer, and C. Julian. 2020. Incidence of bees and wasps in centipedegrass lawns in Georgia. J. Entomol. Sci. 55: 547-559.

c. Compatibility of biological control agents with other management tactics

As part of IPM, it is important to develop new tactics and improve or refine existing tactics so that all the effective tactics are compatible. For example, chemical control is a critical tactic for pest management in turfgrass and ornamental ecosystems. Therefore, it is important to determine how chemical tactics interact with other tactics, such as host-plant resistance or biological control.

Some key publications:

  • Joseph, S. V. 2023. Sub-lethal effects of bifenthrin and imidacloprid on Megacephala carolina carolina L. (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in turfgrass. Insects 14: 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/ insects14010008
  • Joseph, S. V. 2020. Effect of afidopyropen against Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its predator, Adalia bipunctata (L.) in the greenhouse. J. Entomol. Sci. 55: 584-587.