First Report of Brown Ring Patch Caused by Waitea circinata var. circinata on Agrostis stolonifera and Poa pratensis in China

Brown ring patch, caused by Waitea circinata var. circinata, is a recently described disease of turf grass (1,2). The disease was first reported in Japan in 2005 (2) and then in the United States (1). In late May to early September 2011, large yellow rings (20 to 30 cm in diameter) were observed on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) growing at the Qinghe Bay golf course, Beijing, China. Leaf blades turned from yellow to brown as the disease developed, and eventually died. The disease incidence was estimated at 20 to 30%. The rings became continuous on creeping bentgrass and Kentucky bluegrass in several putting greens. The same symptom was observed on the lawn of China Agricultural University. Symptomatic leaves were collected and incubated in high humidity at 25°C until mycelia developed. The leaves were then disinfested in 1% NaClO for 1 min, rinsed with sterile water three times, and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Four isolates were obtained, including one isolate from the lawn of China Agricultural University (cau-1), and three from Qinghe Bay golf course (qhw-1, qhw-2, and qhw-3). The colonies that formed on PDA changed from white to orange over time, and minute orange to brown sclerotia (approx. 2 to 3 mm in diameter) formed after 2 weeks at 25°C. These characteristics were similar to W. circinata var. circinata (1,2). DNA was extracted from each isolate using a CTAB extraction method (3) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were amplified with the ITS1/ITS4 universal primers. The ITS sequences of the isolated fungi (Accession Nos. JQ964235 and JQ964236) had 99 to 100% homology with the sequences of W. circinata in GenBank (Accession Nos. EU591763 and HQ207169). Pathogen inocula were prepared by inoculating autoclaved oat grains with strains qhw-1 and cau-1 respectively, followed by 4 days of incubation at 25°C. Each inoculum was placed in five spots in a uniform arrangement (5 g grain inoculum per spot) on soil in a 40 × 60 cm tray, followed by sowing bluegrass seed. In another experiment, 4-week-old bentgrass was transplanted into soil infested with 5 g grain inoculum in the middle of a 20-cm diameter pot (non-colonized grain was used as a control). There were five replicates for each isolate. Plants were then incubated in a growth chamber at 26°C and high relative humidity (>90%). After 5 to 6 days, the grass in the inoculated pots and trays began to turn yellow, and then became chlorotic and necrotic as the disease developed. Orange sclerotia were observed on the bluegrass leaves by the eighth day, and all the bentgrass turned chlorotic by the tenth day. After 2 weeks, brown ring patches formed in the trays with inoculated bluegrass. Waitea circinata var. circinata was reisolated from all inoculated plants and confirmed by morphological observation and the ITS sequences analysis as described above, while no symptoms were observed on the control plants and no isolate was obtained from them. To our knowledge, this is the first report of W. circinata var. circinata infecting turf grass in China. References: (1) K. A. De La Cerda et al. Plant Dis. 91:791, 2007. (2) T. Toda et al. Plant Dis. 89:536, 2005. (3) J. A. H. Van Burik et al. Med. Mycol. 36:299, 1998.

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Selective Removal of Creeping Bentgrass from Kentucky Bluegrass with Sulfosulfuron

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.43.3.919 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 919-921

Author(s):

Marcus A. Jones ◽

Nick E. Christians ◽

Daniel Weisenberger ◽

Zachary J. Reicher

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Agrostis Stolonifera ◽

Selective Removal ◽

Golf Course ◽

Late Fall ◽

Application Date ◽

And Control

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) is well adapted to golf course greens, tees, and fairways but may become a weed in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) roughs and lawns. The objectives of this study were to determine effects of sulfosulfuron rate and application date on control of creeping bentgrass and safety on Kentucky bluegrass. Field experiments were initiated in 2003 and 2004 in Ames, IA, and West Lafayette, IN. Single applications of sulfosulfuron at 0.011 or 0.022 kg·ha−1 were applied over a 9-week period during the fall of each year. Phytotoxicity on Kentucky bluegrass was recorded weekly and control of creeping bentgrass was determined in the spring after fall treatments. No treatment provided greater than 31% control, and there were few differences in control between the two rates of sulfosulfuron. In West Lafayette, late fall applications were the most effective providing up to 31% control of creeping bentgrass. Sulfosulfuron provided less than 18% control in Ames in either year. Kentucky bluegrass was tolerant of all sulfosulfuron applications. Late fall applications of sulfosulfuron may be useful in partially removing creeping bentgrass from a heavily contaminated sward of Kentucky bluegrass. Chemical names used: 1-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)-3-(2-ethylsulfonylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-ylsulfonyl)urea (sulfosulfuron)

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First Report of Brown Ring Patch on Poa annua Caused by Waitea circinata var. circinata in West Virginia

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-04-10-0274 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 94 (11) ◽

pp. 1379-1379

Author(s):

S. J. McDonald ◽

R. M. Averell ◽

M. E. Glass ◽

H. M. Young ◽

T. H. Mysliwiec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Virginia ◽

Aerial Mycelium ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Poa Annua ◽

Golf Course ◽

First Report ◽

5.8S Rdna ◽

Annual Bluegrass ◽

Agar Plug ◽

Waitea Circinata

In mid-November 2009, thin, yellow, and irregular-shaped scalloped rings 10 to 25 cm in diameter were observed on 5 to 10% of a golf course putting green in Charles Town, WV. The 20-year-old USGA-specification sand-based green was mowed at 3.1-mm height and consisted of 60% annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) and 40% creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stoloniferous L. ‘Putter’). Minimum and maximum daily air temperature ranged from 2 to 22°C, respectively, with 38 mm of rainfall during the appearance of rings symptoms. Only affected annual bluegrass plants exhibited a peculiar yellow chlorosis of the upper and lower leaves. A single fungal isolate was obtained from active mycelium found within symptomatic annual bluegrass leaves and grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with chloramphenicol (0.1 g/liter). Fungal colony morphology (i.e., light yellow with irregular-shaped 2- to 4-mm-diameter sclerotia first appearing off-white but progressing to brown by 21 to 28 days in culture) and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 5.8S rDNA region with primers ITS1 and ITS4 confirmed the isolate as Waitea circinata var. circinata (Warcup & Talbot) with ≥99% sequence identity with GenBank Accession No. FJ755889 (1,2,4). To confirm pathogenicity, a 6-mm-diameter plug of the isolate was removed from the expanding edge of a 4-day-old culture grown on PDA and placed in contact with the lower leaves of 12-week-old annual bluegrass (0.001 g of surface-sterilized seed per cm2) grown in 5- × 5-cm plastic pots of autoclaved 85% sand and 15% potting soil. Six pots were inoculated with the isolate and six pots were inoculated with an isolate-free agar plug and then placed in a moist chamber at 28°C. Leaf chlorosis and aerial mycelium was observed in all six inoculated pots 8 to 10 days after inoculation, and symptoms were similar to those expressed in the field. All noninoculated plants remained healthy and asymptomatic. W. circinata var. circinata was reisolated from symptomatic leaves and again confirmed by colony traits and sequencing of the ITS-5.8S rDNA region and submitted as GenBank Accession No. HM807582. To our knowledge, this is the first report of brown ring patch in West Virginia and could be economically important because of intensive fungicide practices used to maintain high-quality putting greens on golf courses (3). References: (1) C. Chen et al. Plant Dis. 91:1687, 2007. (2) K. de la Cerda et al. Plant Dis. 91:791, 2007. (3) J. Kaminski and F. Wong. Golf Course Manage. 75:98, 2007. (4) T. Toda et al. Plant Dis. 89:536, 2005.

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Herbicide Regimens for Creeping Bentgrass Control in Kentucky Bluegrass

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci13050-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (11) ◽

pp. 1689-1694

Author(s):

Matthew T. Elmore ◽

James A. Murphy ◽

Bradley S. Park

Keyword(s):

Poa Pratensis ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Agrostis Stolonifera ◽

Cool Season ◽

Treatment Regimens ◽

Selective Control ◽

Selective Herbicide ◽

Effective Treatments

Creeping bentgrass (CBG; Agrostis stolonifera L.) is a problematic weed of cool-season turfgrass. The herbicide mesotrione is often used for selective control, but CBG often recovers from sequential applications. Research evaluated the efficacy of mesotrione-based sequential application regimens for CBG control in kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) over a 2-year period. In two separate experiments, identical herbicide regimens were initiated in Oct. 2014 or May 2015 and then reapplied to the same plots in Oct. 2015 or May 2016, respectively. Regimens consisted of various sequential application regimens of mesotrione alone (totaling 560 g·ha–1 annually), three sequential applications of mesotrione (175 g·ha–1) tank-mixed with either triclopyr ester (560 or 1120 g·ha–1) or amicarbazone (50 or 100 g·ha–1), and topramezone (32 or 37 g·ha–1) tank-mixed with triclopyr ester (1120 g·ha–1). At the end of each 2-year experiment, the most effective treatments did not eliminate CBG completely. Among treatment regimens initiated in the fall, the most effective treatments reduced CBG cover 49% to 73% at the conclusion of the experiment in Oct. 2016. At the conclusion of the spring experiment in May 2017, the most effective treatments reduced CBG cover 66% to 94%. Topramezone + triclopyr tank mixtures were less effective than mesotrione-containing treatments on most dates. Mesotrione + amicarbazone tank mixtures reduced CBG more effectively than mesotrione alone, but these tank mixtures also caused severe kentucky bluegrass injury. CBG cover reductions from mesotrione + triclopyr tank mixtures and mesotrione alone were generally similar. Among mesotrione-only regimens, there were no consistent differences in CBG cover reduction. This research indicates that turf managers using a selective herbicide regimen to control CBG in kentucky bluegrass should apply mesotrione at the maximum annual use rate (560 g·ha–1) in two to four sequential applications at 2- to 3-week intervals.

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Selective Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) Control in Cool-Season Turfgrass

Weed Technology ◽

10.1614/wt-04-262r1.1 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 340-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Josh B. Beam ◽

Whitnee L. Barker ◽

Shawn D. Askew

Keyword(s):

Perennial Ryegrass ◽

Initial Treatment ◽

Field Tests ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Agrostis Stolonifera ◽

Sequential Treatment ◽

Golf Course ◽

Cool Season ◽

Control Field

Creeping bentgrass infestations in cool-season turfgrass are unsightly and difficult to control. Field tests were conducted at Stoney Creek Golf Course in Wintergreen, VA, in 2002 and 2003 on a Kentucky bluegrass rough and at the Turfgrass Research Center in Blacksburg, VA, in 2003 on a perennial ryegrass lawn to determine the efficacy of imazaquin, isoxaflutole, and mesotrione for creeping bentgrass control and turfgrass tolerance. Isoxaflutole and mesotrione each applied in two sequential applications at 280 g ai/ha or three sequential applications at 170 or 60 g/ha and imazaquin in two sequential applications at 390 g/ha controlled bentgrass at least 92% 14 wk after initial treatment (WAIT) at all locations. Sequential applications were applied at 2-wk intervals. Isoxaflutole and mesotrione, regardless of rate or sequential treatment, injured turfgrass less than 20% at all rating dates and locations. Imazaquin in two sequential applications at 390 g/ha injured Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass greater than 50% at all locations 14 WAIT. Results indicate isoxaflutole or mesotrione could be used for selective bentgrass control in Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass.

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First Report of Brown Ring Patch Caused by Waitea circinata var. circinata on Poa annua in Virginia

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-93-4-0426a ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 93 (4) ◽

pp. 426-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. Kammerer ◽

P. F. Harmon ◽

S. McDonald ◽

B. Horvath

Keyword(s):

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Internal Transcribed Spacers ◽

Poa Annua ◽

Golf Course ◽

Mixed Stands ◽

Putting Greens ◽

First Report ◽

Annual Bluegrass ◽

Plastic Bag ◽

Waitea Circinata

Brown ring patch was first described as a disease of cool-season turfgrass on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) (4) in Japan and later reported in California on annual bluegrass (Poa annua) (2). Brown ring patch symptoms were observed beginning in December 2007 through spring 2008 on 6 of 18 putting greens on a golf course in Reston, VA. Symptoms included yellow rings and patches of blighted turfgrass on the mixed stands of creeping bentgrass (A. palustris) and primarily annual bluegrass (Poa annua). Chlorosis and blight occurred predominantly on P. annua. A turfgrass sample was received from a consultant in April 2008, and disease severity on affected greens was estimated to be 40%. After incubating for 2 days in a moist chamber, Rhizoctonia-like aerial mycelia were observed. The pathogen was isolated on water agar and potato dextrose agar amended with thiophanate-methyl (100 mg/L), rifampicin (100 mg/L), and ampicillin (500 mg/L) from P. annua plants that had been surface sterilized with 70% ethanol for 15 s. Colony and sclerotia morphology were consistent with Waitea circinata var. circinata as previously described (2,4). Hyphae were stained with aniline blue and multiple nuclei were observed per cell. The teleomorph was not observed on plant material or in culture. Amplified fragments of rDNA including internal transcribed spacers from the isolate were amplified in three bacterial clones and sequenced bidirectionally (GenBank Accession Nos. FJ154894, FJ154895, and FJ154896) using primers ITS1/ITS4 (2,4). The consensus sequences matched, with 99% homology and 99% sequence overlap, isolate TRGC1.1 of W. circinata var. circinata (GenBank Accession No. DQ900586) (2). Annual bluegrass was not available for use in performing Koch's postulates, but previous studies have shown that W. circinata var. circinata is pathogenic to roughstalk bluegrass (P. trivialis) (1,3). Pots of P. trivialis cv. Cypress that were 1 week postemergence were inoculated with seven wheat grains that had been autoclaved and then infested with the isolate. Plants were incubated at 25°C in a sealed plastic bag with a moist paper towel on the bottom. Hyphae grew from the grains and colonized the grass. Individual plants began to turn chlorotic within 3 days, and more than 80% of the turf in pots was dead after 1 week. Control pots were inoculated with autoclaved wheat seed and showed no disease symptoms after 1 week. Inoculations were repeated twice more with the same results. W. circinata var. circinata was reisolated from affected plants in all replications of the test. To our knowledge, this is the first report of brown ring patch in Virginia. Additional research is needed to assess the prevalence and importance of this disease on golf course putting greens in Virginia. References: (1) C. M. Chen et al. Plant Dis. 91:1687, 2007. (2) K. A. de la Cerda et al. Plant Dis. 91:791, 2007. (3) N. Flor et al. Plant Dis. 92:1586, 2008. (4) T. Toda et al. Plant Dis. 89:536, 2005.

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First Report of Brown Ring Patch Caused by Waitea circinata var. circinata on Poa annua and Agrostis stolonifera in New Jersey

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-08-10-0606 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 95 (1) ◽

pp. 78-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

E. N. Njambere ◽

B. B. Clarke ◽

S. A. Bonos ◽

J. A. Murphy ◽

R. Buckley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Jersey ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

The United States ◽

Agrostis Stolonifera ◽

Poa Annua ◽

Its Sequencing ◽

First Report ◽

Annual Bluegrass ◽

Pathogenicity Tests ◽

Waitea Circinata

Waitea circinata var. circinata was first reported as the causal agent of brown ring patch on annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) in the United States in 2007 (2). In early April to mid-June of 2009, circular to irregularly shaped yellow rings resembling symptoms of this disease were observed on an annual bluegrass putting green at Rutgers University in North Brunswick, NJ. Severely infected foliage eventually turned brown as the disease progressed. During the same time period, similar disease symptoms were observed on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) from a golf course in Bedminster Township, NJ. The disease reappeared in both locations in April of 2010. Five additional samples with similar symptoms on creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass were received at Rutgers Diagnostic Laboratory from Paramus, Madison, Allamuchy, and Farmingdale, NJ between late April and early May of 2010. Portions of diseased leaf and sheath tissue that displayed symptoms of the disease were disinfested for 1 min in 0.5% NaOCl, rinsed with sterile distilled water, and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 50 mg/liter of streptomycin sulfate. At the first sign of fungal growth, single hyphal tips were transferred to PDA. After 1 week at 25°C, white-to-orange mycelial colonies formed in culture and eventually turned brown with age. Minute sclerotia (≤3 mm), which followed the same color development pattern, formed within 10 days. These features are consistent with those described of W. circinata var. circinata (2,3). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA gene was amplified using primer pair ITS1/ITS4 and sequenced with ITS4 (GenBank Accession Nos. HQ166065 to HQ166071). BLASTn analysis of the ITS sequences showed a 99 to 100% similarity to W. circinata var. circinata sequences deposited in GenBank (1,2). Pathogenicity tests were conducted in 2010 using 6-week-old creeping bentgrass seedlings cv. Declaration inoculated with colonized oat grain that had been autoclaved and then infested with the Bedminster Township isolate. Eight colonized oat grains were uniformly spread around the crowns of seedlings grown in 10-cm-diameter pots. Control plants were treated with autoclaved grain. Plants were incubated at 25°C and high humidity maintained by misting the plants three times per day. Within 3 days postinoculation, foliage near infested grain turned chlorotic. All foliage in pots became completely blighted and spherical orange-brown sclerotia were observed on leaf sheaths by the eighth day. W. circinata var. circinata was consistently reisolated from inoculated plants (as confirmed by isolate morphology and ITS sequencing) but not from control plants. The ITS sequence data, morphological characters of the isolates, and pathogenicity tests demonstrate that W. circinata var. circinata is present in New Jersey. To our knowledge, this is the first report of W. circinata var. circinata infecting turfgrass in New Jersey. References: (1) C. M. Chen et al. Plant Dis. 93:906, 2009. (2) K. A. de la Cerda et al. Plant Dis. 91:791, 2007. (3) T. Toda et al. Plant Dis. 89:536, 2005.

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Selectivity of Endothall in Turf

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/s0043174500078747 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 557-561 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. J. Turgeon ◽

Donald Penner ◽

W. F. Meggitt

Keyword(s):

Dicarboxylic Acid ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Agrostis Stolonifera ◽

Poa Annua ◽

Selective Action ◽

Annual Bluegrass ◽

Morphological Differences

Absorption, translocation, metabolism, and action of 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (endothall) in annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L. ‘Merion’), and creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L. ‘Penncross’) were studied. Selective action on annual bluegrass from root applications of endothall was attributed to differences in absorption and action of the herbicide. Morphological differences among species, spray retention, and endothall action contributed to selectivity following foliar applications.

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First Report of Summer Patch of Kentucky Bluegrass Caused by Magnaporthe poae in Colorado

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-91-11-1519a ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 91 (11) ◽

pp. 1519-1519 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

C. E. Swift ◽

A. Blessinger ◽

N. Brandt ◽

N. Tisserat

Keyword(s):

Poa Pratensis ◽

Rocky Mountain ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

The United States ◽

Mountain Region ◽

First Report ◽

Magnaporthe Poae ◽

Rocky Mountain Region ◽

Continental Divide ◽

Species Specific

The ectotrophic, root-infecting fungus Magnaporthe poae is the cause of summer patch of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). The disease is widely distributed in the mid-Atlantic Region of the United States and west to central Nebraska and Kansas (2). It also has been found in certain locations of Washington and California (2) but has not been confirmed in the Rocky Mountain Region. In August 2005 and 2006, tan patches and rings of dead turf ranging from 10 to 30 cm in diameter were observed in Kentucky bluegrass swards in Grand Junction and Greeley, CO, respectively. The sites, separated by approximately 360 km, are located west and east of the Continental Divide. A network of ectotrophic hyphae were observed on diseased root segments collected from both sites. A fungus morphologically similar to M. poae (2) was consistently isolated from these segments. DNA was extracted from mycelium of one isolate from each location and amplified by PCR with the M. poae species-specific primers MP1 and MP2 (1). A 453-bp DNA fragment was consistently amplified from DNA of both isolates, diagnostic of M. poae. To our knowledge, this is the first report of summer patch in Colorado and indicates that M. poae may be widely distributed in the central Rocky Mountain Region. References: (1) T. E. Bunting et al. Phytopathology 86:398, 1996. (2) B. B. Clarke and A. B. Gould, eds. Turfgrass Patch Diseases Caused by Ectotrophic Root-Infecting Fungi. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1993.

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Residue management increases seed yield of three turfgrass species on the Canadian prairies

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/p01-126 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 82 (4) ◽

pp. 687-692 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B. D. Gossen ◽

J. J. Soroka ◽

H. G. Najda

Keyword(s):

Seed Production ◽

Seed Yield ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Residue Management ◽

Row Spacing ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Canadian Prairies ◽

The Impact

Little information is available on the management of turfgrass species for seed production in the Canadian prairies. The objective of these studies was to assess the impact of residue management and row spacing on seed yield under irrigation. A factorial experiment was seeded at Saskatoon, SK, in 1993 to assess the impact of burning or scalping (very close mowing with residue removal) vs. mowing, and 20- vs. 40-cm row spacing on seed yield of Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) (Poa pratensis), creeping red fescue (CRF) (Festuca rubra subsp. rubra) and creeping bentgrass (CBG) (Agrostis palustris). Also, a residue management trial on KBG was seeded at Brooks, AB, in 1993. At Saskatoon, yield was higher at 20-cm spacing across all three species in 1994, but spacing had no impact on winter survival, stand density, tiller growth or yield in subsequent years. Burning and scalping consistently resulted in earlier spring green-up, a higher proportion of fertile tillers, and higher seed yield than mowing. Even with residue management, yield declined after one harvest in CBG and CRF, and after two harvests in KBG. At Brooks, residue management had a similar impact on yield of KBG. A second trial at Brooks examined the impact of row spacing (20, 40, 60 cm) and seeding rate (0.5 to 6 kg seed ha-1) on KBG. Seed yield was highest at 40-cm spacings in 1994, at 60 cm in 1995, and at 40 to 60 cm in 1996. Seeding rate did not have a consistent effect on yield. We conclude that a combination of residue management and 20- to 40-cm spacings provide the highest, most consistent seed yields for these turfgrass species in this region. Key words: Burning, clipping, turfgrass, seed production, row spacing, Poa, Festuca, Agrostis

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Mowing Frequency and Plant Growth Regulator Effects on Dollar Spot Severity and on Duration of Dollar Spot Control by Fungicides

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-04-11-0278 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 95 (11) ◽

pp. 1433-1442 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Alexander I. Putman ◽

John E. Kaminski

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Creeping Bentgrass ◽

Agrostis Stolonifera ◽

Golf Course ◽

Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa ◽

Dollar Spot ◽

Confounding Effect ◽

Residual Efficacy ◽

The University ◽

University Of Connecticut

Management of dollar spot (incited by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) on golf course fairways is increasingly challenging. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of mowing frequency and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on dollar spot severity and on the residual efficacy of fungicides for control of dollar spot. Two 4-month-long studies were conducted on ‘Putter’ creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) maintained as a fairway at the University of Connecticut. Treatments were arranged in a three-by-three-by-five factorial that assessed the influence of mowing frequency (2, 4, or 6 days week–1) and PGRs (paclobutrazol, trinexapac-ethyl, or none) on dollar spot control by five fungicide treatments (boscalid, chlorothalonil, iprodione, propiconazole, or none). Turf was mowed in the afternoon hours to minimize the confounding effect of mowing frequency on leaf wetness duration. Treatments were initiated in the late spring of 2007 and 2008, and each fungicide treatment was reapplied only when dollar spot exceeded a threshold of five infection centers plot–1. In the absence of fungicides, dollar spot severity was reduced by 63 to 90% in plots treated with paclobutrazol and by 13 to 55% in plots treated with trinexapac-ethyl. Dollar spot severity was 23 to 50% lower in plots mown 2 days week–1 compared with those mown 6 days week–1. In cases where a significant interaction was observed between mowing frequency and PGRs, dollar spot was reduced on most rating dates in plots treated with trinexapacethyl that were mown 2 days week–1 compared with those mown 6 days week–1. Survival analysis of days until threshold was met revealed that duration of control of fungicides in plots receiving paclobutrazol were 28 to 84% longer compared with plots not receiving PGR. Duration of control by fungicides was generally similar between plots treated with trinexapac-ethyl and no PGR. In general, mowing frequency did not influence duration of control. Results from this study indicate that paclobutrazol could be used to increase the treatment interval of fungicides and that mowing frequency in the absence of dew is likely to have little influence on fungicide residual efficacy. When used without fungicides, PGRs and less frequent mowing may reduce dollar spot in situations where fungicide use is limited.

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