Alternative Herbicides in Turfgrass and Organic Agriculture
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1 Volume XXXII, Number 5/6, May/June 2010 Alternative Herbicides in Turfgrass and Organic Agriculture By William Quarles Photo courtesy of Marrone Bio Innovations number of alternative herbi- cides have been developed A and are now either commer- cially available, or waiting for EPA approval. Major markets for these herbicides include the turfgrass industry and organic agriculture. Demand for “green” herbicides in turfgrass is being driven both by environmental concerns and regula- tory action. For instance, a number of provinces in Canada have banned cosmetic application of chemical pesticides such as 2,4-D for broadleaf weed control on lawns. Cultural methods can relieve some weed pressures, but alternative herbicides can make weed manage- ment less labor intensive (Abu- Dieyeh and Watson 2009; Hashman 2011; Bailey et al. 2010; Boyetchko et al. 2009). In organic agriculture, weeds are Alternative herbicides can be effective. Pictured here is an irrigation chan- the number one pest management nel that has been treated with GreenMatch®, a reduced risk herbicide con- problem and conventional synthetic taining d-limonene. herbicides cannot be used. Current organic options include hand weed- commonly used lawn herbicides— weeds is to ignore or tolerate them. ing, cultivation, mulching and flam- 2,4-D, dicamba, and MCPP. About Some “weeds” are even aesthetically ing (Quarles 2004; Sivesind et al. 77% of the Canadian population is pleasing and break up the monoto- 2009). Alternative herbicides can benefiting from reduced exposure to ny of a “perfect” lawn. When lawn reduce or eliminate costs of hand synthetic lawn and garden pesti- weeds reach levels where they can- weeding (Evans and Bellinder 2009; cides (Ottawa 2010). Regulations on not be tolerated, active controls Avila-Adame et al. 2008). cosmetic pesticides in Toronto led Alternative Herbicides in to a 57% reduction in use on lawns between 2003 and 2007, and the Turfgrass use of alternatives has increased. In In This Issue Canadian provinces of Ontario, 2004, 49% of all households with Quebec, and New Brunswick have lawns reported some use of natural banned cosmetic application of pes- lawn care methods. In 2007, this Alternative Herbicides 1 ticides on lawns. More than 166 proportion was 67% (Toronto 2009). ESA Report 9 Canadian cities have joined in the The regulatory ban of synthetic Provincial Bans. As a result, urban herbicides does not mean that turf- Calendar 8 streams in Ontario have seen an grass weeds cannot be managed. 80% reduction of the three most The easiest treatment for lawn 2 Update Drawing by Diane Kuhn such as hand pulling, mechanical The IPM Practitioner is published six times removal, flaming, or hot water can per year by the Bio-Integral Resource be used (see Resources). Flaming Center (BIRC), a non-profit corporation undertaking research and education in inte- can kill broadleaf weeds while spar- grated pest management. ing turfgrass (see Quarles 2003ab). Managing Editor William Quarles Organic management and good cul- Contributing Editors Sheila Daar tural methods such as overseeding, Tanya Drlik fertilizing, and mulching can be Laurie Swiadon effective. Special tools such as the Editor-at-Large Joel Grossman Weed Hound make mechanical Business Manager Jennifer Bates methods easier (Quarles 2003ab; Artist Diane Kuhn Quarles 2008; Quarles 2009ab). For media kits or other advertising informa- War on the Dandelion? tion, contact Bill Quarles at 510/524-2567, [email protected]. But aesthetic thresholds for lawn Advisory Board Lawn weeds can be managed weeds vary considerably from per- George Bird, Michigan State Univ.; Sterling by hand weeding and other son to person. When very low weed Bunnell, M.D., Berkeley, CA ; Momei Chen, populations are demanded, integra- Jepson Herbarium, Univ. Calif., Berkeley; methods. Sharon Collman, Coop Extn., Wash. State tion of reduced risk herbicides into Univ.; Sheila Daar, Daar & Associates, the IPM management program may Berkeley, CA; Walter Ebeling, UCLA, Emer.; Photo courtesy Steve Ash be necessary. Many of the new Steve Frantz, Global Environmental Options, alternative herbicides target the Longmeadow, MA; Linda Gilkeson, Canadian Ministry of Envir., Victoria, BC; Joseph humble dandelion, Taraxacum offic- Hancock, Univ. Calif, Berkeley; Helga inale. The dandelion is a perennial Olkowski, William Olkowski, Birc Founders; weed that overwinters in the soil as George Poinar, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR; Ramesh Chandra Saxena, seeds or as perennial roots. Plants ICIPE, Nairobi, Kenya; Ruth Troetschler, PTF may live 10-13 years, and popula- Press, Los Altos, CA; J.C. van Lenteren, tions may vary considerably in age Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands. and genetic composition (Abu- Dieyeh and Watson 2007b). Manuscripts Weeding tools make the job The IPMP welcomes accounts of IPM for any One reduced risk pre-emergent pest situation. Write for details on format for easier. product already on the market for manuscripts or email us, [email protected]. dandelion and lawn weed control is Citations corn gluten meal. Vinegar, essential The material here is protected by copyright, Photo courtesy Flame Engineering oils, citric acid, and soaps are avail- and may not be reproduced in any form, either written, electronic or otherwise without able for spot treatments (see written permission from BIRC. Contact Resources). New products include William Quarles at 510/524-2567 for proper iron chelates, sold under the brand- publication credits and acknowledgement. names Iron-X, Fiesta, and EcoSense Subscriptions/Memberships (see Resources). A number of micro- A subscription to the IPMP is one of the bene- bial herbicides are also in the fits of membership in BIRC. We also answer pest management questions for our members pipeline. These include formula- and help them search for information. tions based on Phoma macrostoma, Memberships are $60/yr (institutions/ libraries/businesses); $35/yr (individuals). Sclerotinia minor (Sarritor™), and Canadian subscribers add $15 postage. All Streptomyces sp (MBI 005). other foreign subscribers add $25 airmail postage. A Dual membership, which includes a combined subscription to both the IPMP Corn Gluten Meal and the Common Sense Pest Control Quarterly, costs $85/yr (institutions); $55/yr Corn gluten meal (CGM) is a (individuals). Government purchase orders waste product left over from the accepted. Donations to BIRC are tax- processing of corn to produce corn deductible. FEI# 94-2554036. syrup. Corn gluten meal is 60% protein and approximately 10% Change of Address When writing to request a change of address, nitrogen (N) by weight. It has been please send a copy of a recent address label. used as an ingredient in dog food, © 2011 BIRC, PO Box 7414, Berkeley, CA fish food, and other animal feeds 94707; (510) 524-2567; FAX (510) 524-1758. (Christians 1991; Christians 1995). All rights reserved. ISSN #0738-968X Its high nitrogen content and her- Handheld flamers are another bicidal properties make corn gluten option for lawn weeds. meal a near ideal “weed and feed” IPM Practitioner, XXXII(5/6) May/June 2010 2 Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707 3 Update (Hakatak®) used on Hakea sericea; al. 2004; Abu-Dieyeh and Watson 4. C. gloeosporioides (BioMal® or 2007ab; Hashman 2011). Mallet®) used on various mallow weeds, Malva spp.; 5. The rust MBI 005 (Streptomyces) pathogen, Puccinia canaliculata (Dr. MBI 005, which was developed by BioSedge®) used on sedges such as Marrone Bio Innovations, is expect- Cyperus esculentus; 6. The bacteri- ed to receive EPA registration in um Xanthomonas campestris pv September of 2011. The microbial poae (Camperico®) used on annual Streptomyces acidiscabies is grown bluegrass, Poa annua; in a production facility where it pro- 7.Cylindrobasidium laeve duces herbicidal secretions. The liv- (Stumpout®) used on Acacia; (8) ing organism is then killed and har- Chondrostereum purpureum vested along with the herbicide it (BioChon®) used on broadleafed has produced. This method of pro- trees (Charudattan 2001; Bailey duction allows the use of a broad- and Mupondwa 2006; Boyetchko spectrum microbial that poses no and Rosskopf 2006). Also, non-target problems in the field. Alternaria cassiae (Casst®) is some- Since it is not alive, it cannot grow Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale times sold for the control of sickle- and spread beyond the release pod, Senna spp. (BIRC 2010). point. According to Tom Hashman Microbial herbicides have been of Marrone Bio Innovations, “Our product. The product can be slow to catch on in the IPM market- testing and review of activity shows applied to mature turfgrass as a top place. Problems have been high cost both preemergent and postemergent dressing and fertilizer. Over time, it and generally narrow host range. activity across a variety of acts as a pre-emergence herbicide When the host range is too narrow, broadleaf, grass and sedge weeds. that suppresses growth of annual so that only one weed is targeted, There is excellent crop tolerance in weeds such as crabgrass, Digitaria then the market is limited. If the grassy crops such as cereals, rice spp., clover, Trifolium spp., and host range is too broad, there are and corn; we also see excellent util- dandelion, Taraxacum officinale. possible risks to economic crops. ity in various turf species” Reductions of about 90% were seen Because microbials developed have (Hashman 2011). over a 4-year period (Bingaman and not been broadspectrum materials, Christians 1995; Christians 1991; they have been sporadically avail- Phoma macrostoma Strain Christians 1995; Quarles 1999). able only in niche markets 94-44B Corn gluten meal can be purchased (Charudattan 2001; Hallett 2005; Phoma macrostoma was isolated at feed stores and from a number of Bailey and Mupondwa 2006). from Canada thistle, Cirsium garden suppliers (see Resources). arvense, which was growing in New Microbial Herbicides Microbial Herbicides Saskatchewan (Graupner et al. The new microbial herbicides now 2003). It is a weak plant pathogen Several microbials have shown being commercialized have a wider promise as herbicides. Divine® and spectrum of efficacy, and thus more Collego® were commercialized in market potential.