Dimethoate insecticide application seldom reduces silvertop incidence in grass seed fields on the Canadian prairies

Many arthropods have been reported (but none confirmed) as causal agents of sterile seed heads in perennial grass seed fields, known as silvertop or white head. Field studies to identify the arthropods that cause silvertop were conducted in five perennial grass species at seven sites in Saskatchewan, Canada, over several years. The effect timing of insecticide application in spring — early, mid, or late — and of post-harvest residue management — mowing, close mowing with straw removed (scalping), and burning — on subsequent arthropod populations, silvertop incidence, and seed yield were assessed. Samples of grass tillers and sweep net collections were taken regularly, and the arthropods collected were identified to family level and counted. Arthropod populations from sweep samples varied among sites and dates in number and taxon composition, but no arthropod assemblage was consistently associated with silvertop in any grass species. Thrips were the most numerous arthropods on tillers at all sites. Insecticide application often temporarily reduced arthropod populations, but reduced silvertop incidence at only 1 of 15 site-years, and increased seed yield at only 1 of 17 site-years. Scalping or burning did not reduce silvertop incidence but often increased healthy seed head numbers and seed yield relative to mowing, the standard treatment. The majority of Kentucky bluegrass fields had extremely low seed yields unrelated to silvertop or arthropod levels. This extensive study, across a range of grass species and management regimes, provides strong support for the conclusion based on previous work that arthropod pests are not the sole cause of silvertop.