Management of dollar spot and gray leaf spot on turfgrass

Most turfgrass diseases are caused by fungi. This research focused on assessing fungicide sensitivity in dollar spot fungus (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) and the genetics of gray leaf spot resistance in turfgrass. Dollar spot is the most common and chronic disease on cool-season turfgrass species. The heavy use of fungicide is required for intensively-managed turfgrass. In the survey of golf courses in Ohio, reduced fungicide sensitivity to systemic fungicides labeled for turfgrass was detected throughout the state. Gray leaf spot caused by the fungus, Magnaporthe grisea, is a chronic disease on St. Augustinegrass in the Southern US. This fungus also causes blast disease on rice. Reverse Northern and web-based virtual northern approaches were used to determine the expression of defense-related genes in rice and St. Augustinegrass. These analyses identified 30 genes that either induced or suppressed in both plants following M. grisea infection.... Mehr