Productivity

Superintendents, Let's Talk About Anthracnose
Treating Anthracnose on South African Golf Courses

First, let's talk about the symptoms of Anthracnose.

Symptoms

  • Leaves of infected plants turn yellow to a light tan to brown before dying.

  • Younger leaves often turn red.

  • Basel stem & leaf sheath's rot, affected plants are easy to pull out.

  • Infected areas are seen as irregular shaped patches.

  • Affected patches are a reddish brown colour turning yellow then tan to brown.

  • A black stain may occur at the base of infected plants, this is an acervulus, a black fungal fruiting body

Susceptible Turfgrasses

  • Wintergrass, 

  • Bentgrass, 

  • Kentucky Bluegrasses, 

  • Fescue,

  • Couch.

Conditions Favouring Anthracnose

  • Disease development is favoured by warm humid conditions.

  • Anthracnose favours temperatures over 25°C.

  • It is necessary for a film of moisture to be present on either the roots or foliage for infection to occur.

  • More than 10 hours a day of leaf wetness for consecutive days.

  • Hot summers in cool temperature areas are when the disease is most noticeable.

  • Soil compaction and low amounts of nitrogen also contribute to the disease developing.

Integrated Turf Management

  • Preventative fungicide program during high risk periods.

  • Decrease traffic.

  • Maintain adequate nitrogen and balanced fertility.

  • Do not core or aerate while disease symptoms are present.

  • Avoid management practices which encourage humidity and extended leaf wetness.

Fungicidal control 

Prevention is much more successful when you mix a Systemic (which goes inside the plant) with a Contact (which stays on the outside).

The “Gold Standard mix”

  • 3 Lt/ha Banner Maxx (Systemic)
  • 5Lt/ha Daconil WeatherStik (Contact)

Alternative chemistry options to apply as a preventative application.

  • 1 kg/ha Heritage (Systemic)

Or

  • 9 Lt/ha Instrata (Systemic & Contact)

You can safely add 300 – 500 ml/ha Ryder (This helps the turf manage UV light and heat stress, which indirectly prevents Anthracnose by keeping the plant stronger).