Nematicide treatments of turfgrass seed.

Seed treatments of improved Kentucky bluegrass and fescue cultivars with carbofuran, oxamyl, and phenamiphos dissolved in acetone reduced seedling emergence, but treatments were not extremely phytotoxic. Phenamiphos was the most toxic, particularly at the 5,000 mug/ml concentration. Fresh weight of grass clippings 35 d following planting generally was greater in treatments than in controls except for the 5,000 mug/ml phenamiphos treatments on certain cultivars. All nematicide seed treatments reduced the number of Pratylenchus penetrans subsequently recovered from Pennlawn creeping red fescue roots 4-5 wk after treatment. The infusion of nematicides into grass seed with organic solvents appears to be an effective means of reducing nematode damage to turfgrass seedling with little environmental hazard.