Management of Turfgrass Diseases

A complete guide to managing turfgrass diseases This newly revised and updated Third Edition of the successful Management of Turfgrass Diseases provides professionals the most current practical information for maintaining the best playable turfgrass on their courses. Internationally respected expert J. M. Vargas Jr., uses the latest information to address major grasses, diseases, and management practices. Covering cultural, genetic, biological, and chemical approaches to turfgrass disease management, this Third Edition offers practical solutions to everyday problems related to maintaining healthy turfgrass and identifying turf diseases before they do damage. Management of Turfgrass Diseases, Third Edition also features: More than 70 color photos and over 100 figures that provide a rich visual resource Specific strategies that can be followed to prevent disease from occurring All new sections on fungicide resistance and disease management strategies Tips on irrigation, fertilization, and grass culture Coverage of cool– and warm–season grasses, growing conditions, new diseases, symptoms, and identification and management techniques Tips to help readers determine which grasses are resistant and which are susceptible to various diseases Management of Turfgrass Diseases, Third Edition offers golf course superintendents, lawn care operators, and landscapers a comprehensive, decision–making tool.

1. Introduction to Turfgrass Diseases. Causes of Turfgrass Diseases. Importance of Turfgrass Diseases. Identifying Turfgrass Diseases. Koch′s Postulates. Taking Samples. Interpreting Research. Disease Management. Color Plates. 2. Fungal Diseases of Turfgrass, I: Diseases Primarily Occurring on Golf Course Turfs. Foliar Anthracnose. Crown Rotting Anthracnose. Brown Patch. Dollar Spot. Pythium Blight. Copper Spot. Yellow Tuft. Gray Leaf Spot. 3. Fungal Diseases of Turfgrass, II: Diseases Primarily of Home Lawns and General Turfs. The Helminthosporium Diseases. Melting–Out. Leaf Spot. Net–Blotch. Brown Blight. Leaf Blotch. Red Leaf Spot. Fading–Out. Powdery Mildew. Red Thread. Fairy Rings. Slime Mold. 4. Fungal Diseases of Turfgrass, III: Disease Complexes. The Patch Diseases. Bermudagrass Decline. Spring Dead Spot. Necrotic Ring Spot. Summer Patch. Take–All Patch. Pink Patch. The Snow Molds. Typhula Blight (Gray Snow Mold). Microdochium Patch (Pink Snow Mold). Other Snow Molds. The Smuts. Flag Smut and Stripe Smut. The Rusts. 5. Bacterial, Mycoplasmal, Nematode Diseases of Turfgrass, and the Black Layer. Bacterial Disease. Bacterial Wilt. Viral and Mycoplasmal Diseases. Nematodes. Yellow Blight. Specific Nematodes. Resistant Cultivars. The Black Layer. The Role of Sulfur. Myths of Sulfur and pH Reduction. 6. Fungicides. Generic Names, Chemical Formulas, and Trade Names. Systemic and Nonsystemic (Contact or Surface) Fungicides. Pesticides and Human Medicines. Safe Handling of Fungicides. Criteria for Selecting a Fungicide. Calculations to Save You Money. 7. Fungicide Resistance. Resistance to Fungicides. Fungicide Factor. Fungal Factor. Theories for Preventing or Delaying Resistance. Commonly Accepted Strategies to Prevent or Delay Resistance. Strategies to Prevent or Delay Resistance to DMI Fungicides. New Strategies to Delay or Prevent Resistance. 8. Cultural Aspects of Turfgrass Disease Management. Soil Fertility. Nitrogen. Phosphorus and Potassium. Sulfur. Iron. Soil pH. Irrigation. Drainage. Mowing. Height of Cut. Frequency. Clippings. Collecting Grass Clippings to Prevent Thatch. Does Thatch Cause Disease? Disease Management by Mowing. Rolling. Aerification. Hollow Tine. Solid Tine. Deep Tine. Water Injection. Timing. 9. Using Disease Resistance in Turfgrass Management. Mixtures and Blends. Blends vs. Single Cultivars. "Super" Blends. Should Blends Include a Common Type? Horizontal and Vertical Resistance. Melting–Out. Stripe Smut. High Maintenance Turf. 10. The Cool–Season Grasses: A Plant Pathologist′s Point of View. Cultivar Evaluations. The Bentgrasses. Creeping Bentgrass. Colonial Bentgrass. Velvet Bentgrass. The Bluegrasses. Kentucky Bluegrass. Annual Bluegrass. Poa Trivialis. The Fescues. Tall Fescue. The Fine–Leaf Fescues. Meadow Fescue. The Ryegrasses. 11. The Warm–Season Grasses: A Plant Pathologist′s Point of View. The Zoysiagrasses. Centipedegrass. Buffalograss. St. Augustinegrass. Bermudagrass. Paspalum vaginatum. Other Problems of Warm–Season Turfgrasses. 12. Disease Management Strategies for Golf Courses–Cool Season. Cool–Season Grasses: Greens. The Bentgrasses. Annual Bluegrass. Cool–Season Grasses: Tees. Suggested Species. Cultural Programs. Cool–Season Grasses: Fairways. The Bentgrasses. Annual Bluegrass. The Fine–Leaf Fescues. Perennial Ryegrass. 13. Disease Management Strategies for Golf Courses – Warm Season. Warm–Season Grasses: Winter Overseeding. Warm–Season Grasses: Greens. Creeping Bentgrass. Bermudagrass. Paspalum vaginatum. Warm–Season Grasses: Tees. Bermudagrass. Zoysiagrass. Warm–Season Grasses: Fairways. Bermudagrass. Zoysiagrass. Buffalograss. Kikuyugrass. 14. Disease Management Strategies for Home–Lawn Grasses. Cool–Season Grasses. The Kentucky Bluegrasses. Fine–Leaf Fescues. Perennial Ryegrasses. Creeping Bentgrass. Tall Fescue. Rough Bluegrass. Zoysiagrass. Warm–Season Grasses. Bermudagrass. St. Augustinegrass. Zoysiagrass. Centipedegrass and Bahiagrass. Appendix: Guide for the Control of Turfgrass Diseases. Bibliography. Glossary. Index.

J. M. VARGAS Jr. is Professor of Plant Pathology at Michigan State University, where he has been involved in teaching, research, and extension for the past thirty–five years. He has published more than 200 articles on turfgrass diseases and related subjects and has given presentations at conferences throughout the world.