Tuesday, 16 November 2004
D0431

Susceptibility of Poa spp. to bluegrass billbug, Sphenophorus parvulus

James Reinert, j-reinert@tamu.edu1, James C. Read, j-reinert@tamu.edu1, Joe McCoy, j-mccoy@tamu.edu1, James Heitholt, j-heitholt@tamu.edu1, and Robert J. Bauemfeind, rbauernf@oz.oznet.ksu.edu2. (1) Texas A&M University Res & Ext Center, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX, (2) Kansas State University, Department of Entomology, 239 Waters Hall, Manhattan, KS

The bluegrass billbug (Sphenophorus parvulus Gyllenhal) is a major pest of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). However, there is no information on the susceptibility of Texas bluegrass (P. arachnifera Torr.) or hybrid crosses with Kentucky bluegrass. This experiment compared the susceptibility of two P. arachnifera genotypes with two P. pratensis genotypes and five F1 hybrids among the tested parents. The hybrid, ‘Reveille’, exhibited a level of tolerance to bluegrass billbug larval damage and ranked in the top statistical grouping for least leaf-firing, reduction in tiller number and longest tiller, number and length of rhizomes and reduction in total dry weight of plants (<30%). The hybrids, TXKY96-66-22, sustained 77% reduction in total dry weight and was the most damaged genotype in the study. No single parameter stood out as being the best for measuring the effect of bluegrass billbug on the Poa genotypes evaluated. These results show that P. arachnifera and its hybrid crosses with P. pratensis have individual plants that are both resistant and susceptible. This paper provides the first report of P. arachnifera susceptibility to bluegrass billbug.


Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidae Sphenophorus parvulus (bluegrass billbug)
Keywords: host plant resistance, Poa spp

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