Emergency Chafers and Leatherjackets Summit

An emergency summit is to be held with the aim of finding industry-led solutions to the threat of Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets in the turf industry.
 

The Summit will take place on 9th May 2019 at Burton Albion Football, Staffordshire.

Attendance at this industry summit is vital to those in the industry that want to develop a long-term preventative strategy for Chafers and Leatherjackets.
 

Now that many of the chemicals which were routinely used to keep golf courses and sports pitches free of pests have been withdrawn, this Summit will explore the current challenges in sustaining turf quality in a chemical-free environment.
 

Without proper preparation and action prior to May this year, there is a high risk of increased attacks by Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets.  Many grounds personnel are unaware of a problem until they see evidence - such as birds picking grubs/larvae by uprooting the dead grass.  However, prevention is better than cure and scientifically-developed natural pest control solutions when applied in advance will help control the problem.

 

This event is supported by Bionema, Rigby Taylor, Maxstim, EcoSpray and E. Marker A/S and is in association with editors of BIGGA, IOG and HorticulturalWeek leading industry magazines.

Dr Minshad A Ansari, Founder and CEO of Bionema, said: “This summit is the first step in working together as an industry - pooling our knowledge and using all the tools we have in an integrated way to achieve control of these devastating pests”
 

This emergency Summit will include:
 

Introduction	Karen Maxwell, Institute of Groundsmen
Current pest and disease management in the UK: the push towards integrated approaches	Prof John Moverley, Amenity Forum, UK
Major turf pests and diseases	Dr Kate Entwistle, The Turf Disease Centre, UK
Recent outbreak of Chafer grubs at Epson racecourse	Craig Williamson, Sandown & Epsom Racecourse, TBC
Rising threats of plant parasitic nematodes in turf	Colin Fleming, Agri Food and Biosciences Institute
Biology of Chafers and Leatherjackets	Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema
The role of Biostimulants in turf management and root development	Richard Salvage, Maxstim
The natural solution for pest and disease control	Philip Charlton Smith, CEO, EcoSpray
Current products and their application: Do they interfere?	Peter Corbett, Rigby Taylor
Natural solutions to control of Chafer grubs and Leatherjackets: How do they work?	Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema
Chafer trap: A natural device to monitor Chafer beetle populations	Peter Corbett, Rigby Taylor
Synergy between Chemical & Biological solutions	Carsten Marker, E. Marker, Denmark
Case study 1: Chafer grub control at the Grove Phillip Chiverton, Golf Course & Estate Manager at the Grove, UK
Case study 2: Leatherjacket control at Neath golf club Mark Tucker, Head Greenkeeper, Neath Golf Club, UK

 

The event will establish the true extent of the problem faced by the turf and amenity sector, offer a better understanding of the pests and the current controls available. It will culminate in an interactive debate, chaired by BIGGA, IOG, HorticulturalWeek editors to help plan the next steps for the industry to take to combat the pest threat. The Summit will conclude with an insight into research and development into the control of Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets in turf and amenity sector by Dr Minshad Ansari from Bionema.
 

About Bionema

Bionema is a leading biopesticide product testing and technology development company, specialising in chemical-free, organic crop protection. Research is focused on the development of natural products to protect crops from insect damage, reducing the use of synthetic pesticides, enhancing food security and increasing crop yields. Bionema supplies specialist bio-control products to the horticulture, turf and amenity and forestry sectors, and provides training aimed at increasing product efficacy.