Turfgrass Disease Trends in California and the Western United States

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Naveen Hyder Frank WongDepartment of Plant
Pathology MicrobiologyUniversity of
California, Riverside

• Turfgrass Disease Trends in California and the
  Western United States

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Background information

• California has the largest turf and landscape
  industry in the US (approx. 15 billion)
• Approx. 950 golf courses in the state of
  California 2nd in the US
• Not much information available due to lack of
  turfgrass pathology program since the1990s

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Objective

• To assess turfgrass disease trends in California
  and the Western United States based on diagnostic
  laboratory data
• What are the major disease problems?
• What are the major hosts?
• What are the disease trends over the last four
  years?
• Where should research efforts be focused?

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Materials and methods

• A sample 1 cup cutter size plug of plants and
  soil
• For this study 1 data point one pathogen/plant
  interaction
• Data based on diagnostic samples received
• Samples are not evenly distributed throughout the
  Western United States
• Multiple samples from the same location
• Data collected from 2006-2009 (present)

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Collecting a data point

• Microscopic signs gtgtgt incubate up to 24-48 hrs
• Isolation from tissue
• Leaves, roots and crown on pathogen specific media

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Turf Management for Golf Courses 2001 J. Beard
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Common turfgrass species used in California and
the Western U.S.

• Cool Season
• (C3 Photosynthesis)
• Poa annua
• Poa trivialis
• Agrostis stolonifera
• Festuca arundinacea
• Festuca rubra
• Lolium perenne

• Warm Season
• (C4 Photosynthesis)
• Cynodon spp.
• Pennisetum
• clandestinum
• Paspalum vaginatum
• Stenotaphrum
• secundatum

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Geographic origin(based on of samples received)
2006 2007 2008 2009
Arizona 7 2 1 13
California 389 (85) 366 (80) 235 (77) 402 (79)
Colorado 1 3 1 11
Hawaii 4 6 6 5
Idaho 3 1 6 7
Nevada 23 (5) 40 (9) 28 (9) 25 (5)
Oregon 7 14 11 9
Texas 2 1 0 3
Utah 1 3 3 2
Washington 20 (4) 17 (4) 12 (4) 31 (6)
n 460 n 457 n 306 n 512
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Sources of samples(based on number of samples
received)
2006 2007 2008 2009
Residential/ commercial landscape 8 7 15 15
Sports turf 11 11 7 18
Golf courses 438 (95) 439 (96) 283 (92) 477 (93)
Sod farms 3 - 1 2
n 460 n 457 n 306 n 512
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Most common turfgrass hosts
Data based on n 3,360 diagnosis
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Poa annua (Annual bluegrass) diseases trends
Top 5 from 2006 to 2009
2006 (442) 2007 (425) 2008 (471) 2009 (358)
Algae (17) Rapid Blight (11) Anthracnose (14 ) Anthracnose (18)
Summer Patch (15) Anthracnose (11) Rapid Blight (13) Rapid Blight (8)
Rapid Blight (9) Summer Patch (9) Algae (12) Algae (8)
Brown Ring Patch (9) Brown Ring Patch (9) Summer Patch (8) Summer Patch (8)
Anthracnose (8) Algae (6) Brown Ring Patch (5) Michrodochium Patch (6)

• Total annual bluegrass samples processed
• Algae (Cyanobacteria) Oscillatoria
  spp.
• Anthracnose
  Colletotrichum cereale
• Brown Ring Patch Waitea
  circinata var. circinata
• Rapid Blight
  Labyrinthula terrestris
• Summer Patch Magnaporthe
  poae
• Michrodochium Patch Michrodochium
  nivale

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Agrostis stolonifera (Creeping bentgrass) disease
trendsTop 5 from 2006-2009
2006 (263) 2007 (201) 2008 (185) 2009 (187)
Algae (24) Take-All Patch (23) Algae (10) Anthracnose (18)
Take-All Patch (21) Algae (10) Take-All Patch (10) Take-All Patch (14)
Fairy Ring (5) Anthracnose (6) Anthracnose (6) Algae (11)
Anthracnose (5) Fairy Ring (4) Pythium Blight (5) Fairy Ring (6)
Pythium Blight (3) Pythium Blight (3) Rhizoctonia Brown Patch (4) Rhizoctonia Brown Patch (5)

• Total creeping bentgrass samples processed
• Algae (Cynobacteria)
  Oscillatoria spp.
• Anthracnose
  Colletotrichum cereale
• Fairy Ring
  Various Basidiomycete spp.
• Pythium Blight
  Pythium spp.
• Rhizoctonia Brown Patch Rhizoctonia
  solani
• Take-All Patch
  Gaeumannomyces graminis var. avenae

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Lolium perenne (Ryegrass) disease trendsTop 3
from 2006 - 2009
2006 (173) 2007 (106) 2008 (61) 2009 (67)
Bipolaris Leaf Spot (15) Brown Patch (21) Brown Patch (18) Anthracnose (39)
Brown Patch (15) Curvularia Blight (17) Anthracnose (16) Brown Patch (15)
Curvularia Blight (14) Bipolaris Leaf Spot (15) Summer Patch (7) Bipolaris Leaf Spot (9)
Total ryegrass samples processed
Anthracnose Colletotrichum
cereale Bipolaris Leaf Spot
Bipolaris spp. Brown Patch
Rhizoctonia solani Curvularia
Blight Curvularia spp. Summer
Patch Magnaporthe poae
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Cynodon spp. (bermudagrass) disease trendsTop 3
from 2006 - 2009
2006 (65) 2007 (21) 2008 (45) 2009 (79)
Spring Dead Spot (23) Rhizoctonia Large Patch (38) Bermudagrass Decline (29) Bermudagrass Decline (35)
Bipolaris Leaf Spot (22) Spring Dead Spot (28) Spring Dead Spot (18) Spring Dead Spot (10)
Bermudagrass Decline (17) Bipolaris Leaf Spot (14) Bipolaris Leaf Spot (10)

• Total Bermudagrass samples processed
• Spring Dead Spot
  Ophiosphaerella narmari / O. korrae
• Bipolaris Leaf Spot Bipolaris
  spp.
• Bermudagrass Decline Gaeumannomyces
  graminis var. graminis
• Rhizoctonia Large Patch Rhizoctonia
  solani

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Pennisetum clandestinum (kikuyugrass) disease
trendsTop 3 from 2006 - 2009
2006 (28) 2007 (18) 2008 (23) 2009 (14)
Gray Leaf Spot (38) Kikuyugrass Decline (38) Kikuyugrass Decline (44) Rhizoctonia Large Patch (43)
Kikuyugrass Decline (21) Gray Leaf Spot (16) Rhizoctonia Large Patch (22) Kikuyugrass Decline (36)
Rhizoctonia Large Patch (18) Rhizoctonia Large Patch (16) Gray Leaf Spot (13)

• Total Kikuyugrass samples processed
• Gray Leaf Spot
  Pyricularia grisea
• Kikuyugrass Decline
  Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis
• Rhizoctonia Large Patch Rhizoctonia
  solani AG 2-2

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Summary
Total of samples received (2006-2009) 3,360
94 of the samples received are from golf courses
90 of these samples from golf course greens
Cool season grasses comprise 85 of the samples
50 of these samples are annual bluegrass
1 problem on annual bluegrass is Anthracnose
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Conclusions

• First effort to summarize data pertaining to
  turfgrass diseases in the Western United States
• California has a unique turfgrass disease profile
  because of diversity of climate zones within the
  state
• Top research priority should be cool season turf
  management esp. diseases of annual bluegrass

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Future research scope

• Use the data base to
• Compare and contrast information with other
  regions
• Correlate disease trends with climatic variations
• Correlate disease trends with agronomic practices
  specific to California

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Acknowledgements

• GCSAA Environmental Institute of Golf
• California State GCSAs
• Syngenta Professional Products
• Bayer Environmental Sciences