Variation in southern chinch bug (<i>Blissus insularis</i>) survival and damage on St. Augustinegrass germplasm

Laat, Rocio van der; Dale, Adam G.; Arellano, Consuelo; Milla‐Lewis, Susana R.

doi:10.1002/its2.67

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 49 publications

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“…B. insularis is a pest species in the southern US where it mainly feeds on St. Augustine grass ( S. secundatum ), the grass makes up over half of all commercially produced turfgrass in the southeastern US (Satterthwaite et al., 2009 ) and it is a commonly used turfgrass species more widely across the southern US (van der Laat et al., 2022 ). B. insularis is its major insect pest (Crocker, 1993 ; Cherry, 2001 ) and is able to build up very large populations, with more than 2,000 insects per 0.1 m 2 (Reinert and Kerr, 1973 ).…”

Section: Pest Categorisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pest categorisation of Blissus insularis

Bragard¹,

Baptista²,

Chatzivassiliou³

et al. 2023

EFS2

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The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Blissus insularis (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Blissidae) for the European Union (EU) territory. B. insularis, known in the US as the southern chinch bug, primarily feeds on St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum, Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae). This is a lawn grass grown in warm, tropical and subtropical regions of the world and which is widely grown in the southern US and also used in southern EU as a lawn and amenity grass. Adults and nymphs aggregate to feed at the base of the grass. B. insularis occurs in the southern continental US, Hawaii, Guam, Mexico, Central and South America, and across the Caribbean. In the EU, B. insularis was first detected in Portugal in 2019, where following a national survey, it has now been found in 10 municipalities across the central and southern parts of the country. The pathway for entry into Portugal is unknown. B. insularis is not a regulated pest in the EU. It could further enter and spread within the EU via the import and movement of host plants for planting. S. secundatum is vegetatively propagated because seed is largely sterile. Many Poaceae plants for planting are prohibited from entering the EU, other than some ornamental perennial grasses. Whether S. secundatum is considered an ornamental grass within phytosanitary legislation is not clear. Host availability and climate suitability suggest that southern EU regions extending from the Atlantic coast of Portugal through the Mediterranean would be suitable for B. insularis establishment. The introduction of B. insularis to such areas of the EU would likely cause impacts to St. Augustine grass, as already seen in Portugal. Measures to prevent further entry and spread are available. Options to reduce the impact of established populations are also available. B. insularis satisfies all the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.

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Section: Pest Categorisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pest categorisation of Blissus insularis

Bragard¹,

Baptista²,

Chatzivassiliou³

et al. 2023

EFS2

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Enhancing drought resistance in warm‐season turfgrasses: Fourteen years of progress through a multistate collaborative project across the southern United States

Gouveia,

Kenworthy,

Chandra

et al. 2024

Crop Science

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In turfgrass breeding, drought resistance is a primary trait for improvement due to scarcity and reduced quality of water for irrigation. Therefore, in 2010, the turfgrass breeding programs at six public universities joined efforts to address these challenges by cross evaluating breeding lines for the most economically significant warm‐season turfgrass species in the southern United States through a United States Department of Agriculture‐National Institute for Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative funded project. Three breeding cycles were associated with three completed (2010–2014, 2014–2019, and 2019–2024) collaborative grant projects, but the efficiency of this partnership in terms of gains from selection has not been measured. Our objectives were to (1) estimate the expected and realized genetic gain for drought resistance and turfgrass quality for three breeding cycles, (2) compare cultivars developed with support of the projects versus standard cultivars in a historical data analysis, and (3) compare genetic gain for traits assessed visually versus using small unmanned aircraft systems imagery, both in drought and non‐drought environments. For these purposes, historical data were investigated with a retrospective analysis of project trials evaluated 2011–2024. Our findings for the realized genetic gain demonstrated progress in enhancing drought resistance in bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, seashore paspalum, and zoysiagrass. In addition, notable positive increments for this trait were documented for each cycle compared to the standard cultivars, particularly in bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass. While heritability was higher for visually assessed traits, genetic increments were more pronounced for imagery‐assessed traits.

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Variation in southern chinch bug (Blissus insularis) survival and damage on St. Augustinegrass germplasm

Cited by 2 publications

References 49 publications

Pest categorisation of Blissus insularis

Pest categorisation of Blissus insularis

Enhancing drought resistance in warm‐season turfgrasses: Fourteen years of progress through a multistate collaborative project across the southern United States

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