Evaluating light reflectance for monitoring Virginia golf courses as part of an integrated pest and pollinator management plan

Pollinator dedicated regions in non-playable areas of golf courses have become more popular in Virginia. The establishment of these regions introduced a need for integrated pest and pollinator management, which aims to control pests while considering the needs of pollinators. Light reflectance offers a method of monitoring both pests and pollinators. Light reflectance, collected by a spectrometer, can be used as a proxy for the health of plants. Plants that are stressed may reflect potential damage before it is visible. Therefore, light reflectance can be a valuable tool in assisting golf course superintendents in the timing of pesticide applications . For this study, turfgrass infested by a major pest, the annual bluegrass weevil, and neighboring pollinator regions were monitored. There was a correlation between stressed turfgrass, lower light reflectance and large populations of annual bluegrass weevil. This monitoring method could improve precision of pesticide applications , which could decrease the number of applications and reduce environmental chemical load, costs and protect pollinators. Field observations confirmed the presence of pollinators in the regions, which were as close as 2 m from pesticide treated turfgrass. Data showed that diversity of plants in pollinator regions caused variance in the wavelengths and the attracted pollinators. Other factors, such as plant height, flower color, and percent ground cover were collected at these regions, since they could influence pollinator presence. The work presented in this study will establish the foundation for the connection between proximal and remote sensing for use at golf courses.