Disease Notes

Your Frequently Asked Questions answered. Find out more on the ITM measures to reduce season long outbreaks of this stress induced disease .....

Brown Patch is not very common but it is most frequently seen on close mown areas such as golf greens and bowling greens.

Dollar Spot lesions on leaves are a pale, bleached colour. Small (dollar size) spots of bleached turf occur on close mown grass.

The term 'fairy ring' is used to describe a number of turf grass diseases where soil-borne fungi cause certain symptoms to develop on the surface of the sward. Fairy rings are caused by the activity of many fungi classified as basidiomycetes.

Fusarium Patch can be a devastating disease on fine turf surfaces as the patches may be many inches in diameter and adversely affect the playing surface as well as its aesthetic value.

Severe infection may thin the sward, cause dieback and leave patches with weak turf, affecting the aesthetic value and the playability of the turf.

Found on any area of turf, especially golf greens, tees, fairways, bowling greens, lawns, parkland and sports pitches. Red thread does not commonly affect the playing quality of the turf but reduces the aesthetic appearance.

Seedling diseases may be caused by many fungi including Microdochium nivale (Fr.) Samuels and I.C. Hallett, Fusarium spp. Drechslera spp., Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker, Rhizoctonia spp and Pythium spp.

Take-all patch symptoms begin as a slight reddening or bronzing of bentgrass usually in a ring during summer months.

Small spots 1-3 cm in diameter of yellowed densely tillered plants with shortened roots, that are easily pulled from the turf.

Common in South Africa and becoming more common in the UK