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Anthracnose Issues?

(originally published in November 2014, updated to include new treatment options)

 

Anthracnose is a disease common in Poa golf greens throughout summer.

It attacks weakened Poa and can lead to turf death. It commonly follows environmental stress including moisture and reduced light. Being mainly a foliar and crown disease, it favours high humidity. Preventative fungicide treatment is essential as recovery of Poa from damage in mid-summer can be very slow. A presentation from Dr John Kaminski of Penn State University highlighted the latest research on Anthracnose control.

Key points:

• Regular, light nitrogen applications with balanced liquid nutrition is essential to support turf health. It is preferable to apply fertiliser on Growing Degree Days (GDD) or bi-weekly at sufficient rates to achieve the required growth rate.

• Cutting greens with a solid roller is better than a Wiley roller. Greens mowed with a Wiley have higher disease incidence.

• Spring renovation with a good top-dress covering the crown with soil. This then protects the crown from physical damage which minimises Anthracnose infection. Additionally dusting into Summer ensures sand keeps the crown protected. Kaminski also believes dusting artificially increases the mowing height hence reduces stress on the turf.

PRIMO MAXX applied at suitable rates into Summer improves turf stress tolerance thus reduces disease infection, especially combined with an ability to mow less and roll more often.

INTERCEPT applied throughout winter and into summer to stop seedhead production keeps Poa in a vegetative state, stops the energy waste of seed production and hence reduces stress on Poa thus allowing it to be more disease tolerant in summer.

The best fungicide control combinations involve DACONIL WEATHER STIK, RESERVE STRESSGARD or DACOGREEN as the contact component. Other leading fungicides for Anthracnose control include QUALI-PRO ENCLAVE, HERITAGE MAXX and TRIBECA. Pythium protection can be included with bi-weekly or GDD apps of SIGNATURE XTRA STRESSGARD.

Soil application options for Pythium include TERRAZOLE, SUBDUE MAXX or PROPLANT as a wash-in application.

For the best tailored preventative program for Anthracnose and Pythium control talk with your Living Turf Technical Sales Representative.