LAUSR

Turfgrass systems may offer opportunities for overcoming some constraints on the successful implementation of weed biocontrol. Of the roughly 16.4 million ha of turfgrass in the USA, about 60% to 75% are in residential lawns and 3% are golf turf. Annual expenditures for a standard herbicide treatment regimen for residential turf are estimated to be about $US326 ha-1 , about two to three times that of USA corn and soybean growers. Expenditures can be over $US3000 ha-1 for control of certain weeds like Poa annua in high-value areas like golf fairways or greens, but those applications are made to far smaller areas. Regulatory actions and consumer preferences are creating market opportunities for alternatives to synthetic herbicides in both commercial and consumer markets, but the size of these markets and willingness-to-pay are poorly documented. Turfgrass sites are intensively managed, yet despite the ability to modify site conditions through irrigation, mowing and fertility management, microbial biocontrol agents tested thus far have not provided consistently high levels of weed control expected in the market. Recent advances with microbial bioherbicide products may offer a path to overcome many of the obstacles to success. No single herbicide will control the diversity of turfgrass weeds, nor will any single biocontrol agent or biopesticide. Successful development of weed biocontrol for turfgrass systems will require numerous, effective biocontrol agents for the many weed species found in turfgrass environments, as well as a deeper understanding of different turfgrass market segments, and weed management expectations for each segment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.