Nematode communities on putting greens, fairways, and roughs of organic and conventional golf courses

Authors: ALLAN-PERKINS, ELISHA - University Of Massachusetts; Manter, Daniel; WICK, ROBERT - University Of Massachusetts; EBDON, SCOTT - University Of Massachusetts; JUNG, GEUNHWA - University Of Massachusetts

Submitted to: Applied Soil Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/7/2017
Publication Date: 10/13/2017
Citation: Allan-Perkins, E., Manter, D.K., Wick, R., Ebdon, S., Jung, G. 2017. Nematode communities on putting greens, fairways, and roughs of organic and conventional golf courses. Applied Soil Ecology. 121:161-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.09.014.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.09.014

Interpretive Summary: Nematodes are an important component of the golf course ecosystem. Many species provide benefits to turfgrass, while others can cause significant damage. Previous studies on golf courses have focused only on herbivore nematodes, mostly on putting greens. This study aimed to characterize all nematode trophic groups, nematode maturity and ecological indices under different management intensities (depicted by roughs, fairways, and putting greens) of three golf courses representing conventional and organic management types over two seasons in 2013 and 2014. The results of this study show that management intensity affects nematode diversity and herbivore maturity (PPI), with the putting greens of all three golf courses having the lowest values for these metrics. However, there were large differences in nematode communities among organically and conventionally managed putting greens. This is the area of most interest to golf courses, as this is where nematode damage is most severe. This study provides a list of possible factors strongly influencing an increase in herbivores that cause turfgrass damage. Continued monitoring of these three golf courses will help to determine if course age influences nematode communities, especially those under organic management. Additional factors to further investigate would be decreasing organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, and the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Future studies should focus on examining the effects of these factors on each nematode trophic group and their interactive relationships to determine if they can be integrated into golf course management strategies, and potentially to less managed turf such as home lawns and athletic fields, to reduce herbivores and potentially increase free-living nematode populations, thus reducing disease and increasing turfgrass health through benefits such as increased available nitrogen via bacterivore nematodes.

Technical Abstract: Nematodes are an important component of the golf course ecosystem. Many species provide benefits to turfgrass, while others can cause significant damage. Previous studies on golf courses have focused only on herbivore nematodes, mostly on putting greens. This study aimed to characterize all nematode trophic groups, nematode maturity and ecological indices under different management intensities (depicted by roughs, fairways, and putting greens) of three golf courses representing conventional and organic management types over two seasons in 2013 and 2014. The putting greens on all three golf courses had lower diversity and herbivore index (PPI) values than the other management areas. The relative abundance of herbivores, bacterivores, and structure index (SI) values differed among organic and conventional management. Canonical correspondence analysis and multiple stepwise regression analyses revealed pH, phosphorous, and organic matter were positively related to increased herbivores and negatively related to increased bacterivores. The results of this study can be used to develop alternative management practices aimed at decreasing problematic herbivore populations on putting greens and increasing potentially beneficial bacterivores.