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Project Leader(s): Dr. Antonio DiTommaso,
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Crop & Soil Sciences, Cornell University
Dr. Leslie A. Weston, Associate Professor, Dept.
of Horticulture, Cornell University.
Cooperator(s): Dr. Kathie T. Hodge, Assistant
Professor, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Cornell University
Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators
Type of grant: Biological control and
pest biology
Project location(s): Central New York,
possibly the entire state
Abstract: Ground ivy or creeping Charlie
(Glechoma hederacea) is a creeping perennial in the Mint Family that
forms dense prostrate patches in turfgrass, damp shady meadows, and disturbed
sites. The control of ground ivy using chemical and mechanical methods has largely
been unsuccessful in turfgrass where it is considered a major weed. Thus, there
is an urgent need to develop and evaluate alternative approaches for the control
of ground ivy in turfgrass that are effective and environmentally sound. Several
rust fungi have been reported to infect ground ivy in its native Eurasian range.
In 1998, one of these rusts, Puccinia glechomatis, was found in North
America including on ground ivy plants growing in Syracuse, NY. Research to
date has demonstrated that this rust fungus infects only plant species within
the genus Glechoma. The goal of this study was to (1) determine the distribution
of the Puccinia glechomatis rust on turfgrass ground ivy populations
in the Ithaca, NY area and surrounding counties, (2) assess the potential of
the rust to effectively suppress ground ivy in turfgrass, and (3) determine
whether the rust infects non-host plant species in turfgrass. Field surveys
during the 2001 growing season indicate that the rust has infected ground ivy
plants in the Ithaca, NY area as well as several surrounding counties. In field
trials within naturally infected turf, the rust reduced ground ivy coverage
nearly 30% by mid-September compared with coverage in late May before disease
symptoms were observed. Disease symptoms were not observed on any of the turfgrass
species or other non-target plants in infected plots. These preliminary findings
suggest that the selective rust, Puccinia glechomatis, may be a promising
biocontrol candidate for suppressing ground ivy in turfgrass and warrants further
research., in press.
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