You Are Here: Management Updates 2003 Archive August 1, 2003

Date: August 1, 2003
Category: Diseases
Subject: Lab Closing, Summer Patch, Take-All, Anthracnose, Necrotic Ring Spot, Brown Patch, Dollar Spot

The UMass Turf Disease Diagnostic Lab will close in Amherst on August 8, next Friday. I will be leaving for the plant pathology meetings at about noon on Friday, so please send samples earlier in the week if at all possible. Contact information for the Rutgers and URI diagnostic labs has been posted in the Disease Diagnostics section of this website for the 3 weeks when my lab is closed. I hope that the new lab in Wisconsin will be ready for samples right after Labor Day. I will send a message when I am open for business.

When sending samples, it is very helpful to use the Turf Case-History Questionnaire and Report available on this website in the Disease Diagnostics section. I get more complete information about the sample, and I don't have to re-write all of the information onto the sheet for your written report, which can take a lot of time when many samples arrive in a day. Please take a minute to print out the Turf Case-History Questionnaire and Report to accompany your sample, so I only need to write out the diagnosis.

The root and stress diseases have continued to dominate the last week. Summer patch is widespread on Poa in fairways. Take-all patch is causing problems in compacted greens on bentgrass. Anthracnose continues to plague greens and is also occurring on fairways. In lawns, necrotic ring spot is widespread. Syringing still living plants in the mid-day heat may help them survive. Overseeding is probably the best option in lawns rather than fungicides which will not revive the dead plants. The coming week looks like warm nights and lots of potential moisture. This is perfect weather for brown patch. Dollar spot is also likely, especially where turf is slow growing and remains wet from dew for extra hours due to poor air movement or shade.No gray leaf spot has been reported yet on perennial ryegrass.

- Submitted by: Dr. Gail Schumann