Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia Homoecarpa) is considered the most common turf disease in North America, particularly on golf course greens and fairways (Charbonneau, 2010). Dollar patch produces round, straw-colored patches ranging from 2-6 inches on closely mowed grass. In the early morning, when the grass is covered in dew, there may be a web-like growth on the leaves of the turf. In the early stages of the disease, leaves develop tan spots and hourglass-shaped bands in the center of the leaf (Duble, 2006). The patches can grow to form large, irregular areas on the turf that can eventually cover the green. The fungus survives as masses of mycelia called sclerotia or stromata on plants or in thatch under unfavorable weather conditions (Bonos, 2011). Mycelium begins to grow from thatch on wet leaf surfaces to cause initial infections (Charbonneau, 2010). Plant tissue infected by dollar spot can be carried by numerous objects such as golf carts, lawn mowers, golf shoes. The disease attacks the foliage and crown of the plant, but the rhizomes and stolons remain uninfected (Krause, 2005). Spot Dollar Cultural Check Spot Dollar Cultural Check is highly successful when completed correctly. A couple of cultural practices that promote healthy turf are: removing excess thatch, mowing frequently at recommended heights, and aerating compacted soils (SLJ, 2009). Removing excess thatch can be done in a couple of ways such as; using a vertical mower or using an electric rake. Aerating the turf will help compact the soil while topdressing will help with drainage (Wong 2009). Cut the turf to the recommended height without removing more than 1/3 of the leaf surface in a single mowing (Pigati ...... center of paper ......t Program.Bonos, Stacy. 2011. " Gene Action of Resistance to Dollar Spot in Creeping Bentgrass." Journal of Phytopathology 159.1: 12-18. Burpee, Lee and Richard Latin. 2008. "Reevaluation of Fungicide Synergism for Dollar Spot Control." Plant Disease 92.4 : 601-06. Pigati, Dernoeden, Grybauska, and Momen. 2010. “Simulated performance of rain and mowing impact fungicides when targeting dollar spot in creeping plant disease 95.4: 596-603. Geunhwa Jung and John Kaminski 2010. “Eographical distribution of fungicide-insensitive Scierotinia Homoeocarpa isolates from golf courses in the northeastern United States.” Plant Disease 94.2: 185-96 Geunhwa. 2008. “Rapid Development of Fungicide Resistance by Sclerotinia Homoeocarpa on Turfgrass.” 98.12: 1297-304.
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