If you are interested in Pythium Leaf Blight, we have a great resource on our website about it. For today’s purposes we are going to discuss Ascochyta Leaf Blight. Particularly Pythium Leaf Blight as well as Ascochyta Leaf Blight. We see a few of the variations every year. Today, we are going to focus on fighting blight!Īs lawn fungus goes, blight can be a catchall term for many variations of leaf blight. It is common this time of year, so if you are seeing it, check out that article to see how best to treat it. Last week we talked about powdery mildew. The disease is more likely intensified by environmental factors and not the quantity of fungus present.This week at the Wonderful World of Weed Man we will be continuing on our “ Your Lawn May Have the Sniffles!” lawn disease series. Similarly collecting clippings while mowing to reduce the amount of fungus is unlikely to reduce disease severity. Although the fungus can be spread from one location to another on grass clippings it is unlikely to contribute significantly to disease development because the fungus is already present throughout every lawn. Reduce mowing frequency and increase mowing height during Ascochyta outbreaks. Avoid mowing during wet weather, especially when Ascochyta blight is active. Minimize wounding of the leaf blades by maintaining sharp mower blades. Maintain grass height between 2 ½ and 3 inches. Reduce thatch and promote water penetration through the soil by yearly aerification.These fruiting bodies, which are easier to view with the aid of a hand lens, are peppered throughout the dead leaves and can be very useful as a diagnostic feature.Īscochyta leaf blight can be managed by following good cultural practices that minimize stress in the lawn. The Ascochyta fungus produces minute yellow to dark brown, flask-shaped fungal fruiting bodies called pycnidia in diseased leaf tissue. These leaf symptoms resemble heat or drought stress. In other cases leaves may exhibit white banding or entirely collapse and shrivel. The margin between healthy and diseased tissue is abrupt and slightly pinched, but doesn’t have the dark brown to purple banding that is characteristic of another disease called dollar spot. Leaves infected with the Ascochyta fungus often exhibit a bleached tip dieback that extends approximately a third to halfway down the leaf blade. Blighting is usually restricted to the leaves bluegrass crowns and roots typically are not killed. Although the blighting within an area appears complete from a distance, healthy leaves are interspersed within the patch. The overall appearance of the disease may resemble drought stress, except that the symptoms of Asochyta blight appear quickly (i.e. Large, irregular patches of turf rapidly turn a straw-color and appear dead. On the other hand there are some steps that can be taken this spring that can reduce the risk of this fungus finding its way to your door step.Īscochyta leaf spot symptoms may develop throughout the growing season but are more common during hot, droughty periods that were preceded by cool, rainy conditions. This is a fungus that is a nuisance, but doesn’t kill the lawn. Last year I saw quite a bit of the Ascochyta leaf spot around Logan County. As we start to see spring moving in, it’s a good time to start to think about our lawns.
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