As urban sprawl dramatically increases, development of urban landscapes rapidly gains popularity. Thus, higher values and expectations are placed on urban landscapes. Within these landscapes, turfgrass is responsible for a majority of the overall system. Maintenance of such landscapes require multiple inputs. Associated with landscape management practices are public concerns for environmental safety, especially in reference to drinking water. Advocacy groups as well as government agencies have initiated national reformations to protect ground and surface water from potential chemical contamination. Thus, turfgrass managers are faced with the challenge of maintaining well-manicured turf with fewer inputs.
Pesticides are commonly used in urban landscapes by both professionals and homeowners to control pests. It is understood that pesticides used in urban landscapes have a greater potential for contaminating drinking water, by surface runoff, when applied to impervious surfaces such as driveways and sidewalks as compared to pervious surfaces such as turf. The objective of this study was to quantify the potential runoff on lawn-care pesticides commonly used by both professionals and homeowners on impervious (concrete) and pervious (turf) surfaces.
Eighteen plots were established: nine paved with concrete and nine comprised with a four-cultivar blend of Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L. Respective plots received a turfgrass maintenance regime of professional treatments, homeowner treatments, or no treatment. Water samples were collected from routine irrigation or rainfall events from collection devises. Water samples were processed to determine the amount of pesticide residue using solid phase extraction. Quantification of pesticide residue for each sample was determined by mass spectrometry. Imidiacloprid, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon insecticide treatments were applied to respective pervious and impervious plots and data from respective water samples collected will be reported.
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA