Risk Thresholds for Lance Nematodes in Turfgrass

University of Florida nematologist William Crow, Ph.D., takes a close look at the relationship between lance nematodes and turf health, and how nematicides factor in.

Lance nematodes (Hoplolaimus species) have long been recognized as pests of golf course bermudagrass. Despite this, very little research effort has focused on identifying how much damage these nematodes cause to bermudagrass.

Current risk thresholds used by the University of Florida Nematode Assay Lab (NAL) and those used by other diagnostic labs are largely based on observation, not data. Unlike most other plant-parasitic nematodes, lance nematodes continuously move into, out of and within bermudagrass roots, making soil counts a questionable measurement of their abundance.

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