Species composition and seasonal occurrence of Phyllophaga (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) infesting intensely managed Bermudagrass in Oklahoma.

Larvae of Phyllophaga spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are important turfgrass pests in many regions of the United States. However, not all of the species associated with turfgrass are known, including species most likely to be of economic concern in Oklahoma turfgrasses, especially Bermuda grass. This study documented the species composition and seasonal occurrence of Phyllophaga associated with high maintenance Bermuda grass turf in Oklahoma over a 2-yr period. In 2005 and 2006, adult Phyllophaga spp. were collected with blacklight traps from selected golf courses throughout Oklahoma Phyllophaga larvae were obtained from Bermuda grass stands at selected sod production facilities adjacent to or near the light traps. We collected 20 species of Phyllophaga beetles in light traps, and nine species of Phyllophaga larvae from turfgrass. Peak flight periods for most species occurred in May and June, but some were captured as early as mid-April and others as late as September. The cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene from adults and larvae was amplified using polymerase chain reaction, sequenced, and then used to compare larval DNA against DNA from identified adults. These results confirmed the validity of using COI sequences to identify species of some Phyllophaga larvae. The identifications will aid in optimizing the timing of insecticide applications against Phyllophaga white grubs as discussed.

Vehicle-Mounted Optical Sensing: An Objective Means for Evaluating Turf Quality.

Visual evaluation of turfgrass quality is a subjective process that requires experienced personnel. Optical sensing of plant reflectance provides objective, quantitative turf quality evaluation and requires no turf experience. This study was conducted to assess the accuracy of optical sensing for evaluating turf quality, to compare the rating consistency among human evaluators and optical sensing, and to develop a model that describes a relationship between optically sensed measurements and visual turf quality. Visual evaluations for turf color, texture, percent live cover (PLC), and optically sensed measurements were collected on the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb) and creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) trials at Stillwater, OK. Measurements were made monthly for 12 consecutive months from June 1999 through May 2000. Red (R) and near infrared (NIR) reflectance were collected with sensors and converted to normalized difference vegetative indices (NDVI). The NDVI were closely correlated with visual evaluations for turf color, moderately correlated with percent live cover (PLC), and independent of texture. Measurements of turf color and PLC were evaluated more consistently with optical sensors than by visual ratings. Normalized difference vegetation index (Y) could be reliably predicted by the following generalized model for turf color (X) and PLC (Z): Y = B(0) + B(1)log10X + B(2)Z(3). Optical sensing provided fast, reliable turf assessment and deserves consideration as a supplemental or replacement technique for evaluating turf quality.

DRG-based cost management at Norwest Corporation.

A large financial holding company, Norwest has been studying employee health benefit utilization, provider performance and more by comparing actual experience to projected norms using a DRG-based methodology. The Hewitt Associates Consultant who works with the Company explains how this process has revealed new facts crucial to health cost management planning.

Evaluation of body composition of young obese and lean Zucker rats.

The growth and development of total body water, fat, ash and protein were examined in lean and obese Zucker rats (fa/fa) from 13 to 31 days of age. The obese rats began depositing significantly more fat compared to the lean controls by day 13. At this time the obese had 3.8% more carcass fat than the lean, with this difference increasing to almost 13% by day 31. Per cent ash and protein were significantly lower in the obese rats throughout the 18 day experimental study. However, when the absolute grams of these two parameters were expressed on a fat-free weight basis, no differences were recorded between the genotypes. There were also no differences when the slopes of the linear log-log growth equations for fat-free weight versus ash and protein were compared. These data do not lend support to the contentions that skeletal stunting and decreased protein deposition are present early in the development of the obese rat. A technique to identify obese rats at an early age without the necessity of killing them, by determining total body water with injected tritiated water was also examined. The method correctly identified obese and lean rats at 2 weeks of age. Further refinement of this technique is necessary before it may be used to precisely predict the genotype of a rat.