Take-All Patch and Summer Patch on the Rise
Bayer Green Solutions Team
With the cool, wet spring transitioning into a warm, dry June patch diseases are starting to appear in much of the Midwest and Northeastern U.S. Take-all patch and summer patch both infect roots and disrupt vascular tissues during cool, wet weather in spring, , with symptoms appearing during drought or heat stress in summer. Although there are key differences between these diseases including host species, symptoms, and fungicide timing – both diseases must be managed preventively to avoid damage in the peak playing season.
- Cultural practices to control both take-all and summer patch
o Aggressive aerification and topdressing to minimize thatch
o Acidifying fertilizers like ammonium sulfate when practical to help reduce rhizosphere pH
o Avoid liming or other practices that raise soil pH
o Maintain upper soil pH between 5.5-6.0
o Apply manganese sulfate @ 2 lbs/acre in the spring
- Fungicide control of take-all patch (exclusively in creeping bentgrass)
o Apply preventively in the fall and/or spring when soil temperatures are 50-60°F at a 2-inch depth. Two-to-three applications may be necessary on 21-28 day intervals
o DMI and QoI fungicides are most effective when applied in 2-5 gals water/1,000 sq ft or watered in immediately after application
o Tartan® Stressgard®, Mirage™ Stressgard, and Bayleton® FLO are all effective solutions
o Curative control is difficult - thiophanate methyl, DMI’s, and strobilurin fungicides are the best options. All products should be watered-in immediately after application to target the root zone
- Fungicide control of summer patch (primarily annual bluegrass but recently also creeping bentgrass)
o Apply preventively in spring when soil temperatures >65°F for 5 days at a 2-inch depth, with 2-3 applications every 21-28 days
o DMI and QoI fungicides are most effective when applied at 2-5 gals water/1,000 sq ft or watered in immediately after application
o Most pathologists agree that reduced use of DMI’s in summer is leading to increased summer patch diagnoses in creeping bentgrass
o Tartan® Stressgard®, Mirage™ Stressgard and Bayleton® FLO are all effective solutions
o Curative control is difficult - thiophanate methyl, DMI’s, and strobilurin fungicides are the best options. All products should be watered-in immediately after application to target the root zone
- Mitigating stress while controlling diseases
o Stressgard fungicides like Tartan and Mirage provide excellent control of root diseases like summer patch and take-all patch with the added benefit of abiotic stress mitigation
o Summer patch and take-all patch are both exacerbated by stresses such as heat, drought and traffic. Research has shown that Stressgard products can help to mitigate these stresses by improving plant chlorophyll content and photosynthesis
- Need more info? – Read and follow all label directions. Contact your Bayer Area Sales Manager if you need assistance
Fairway height creeping bentgrass infected with take-all patch and uninfected healthy perennial ryegrass in the center of the patch.
Summer patch symptoms in untreated Kentucky bluegrass research plot
Disease control with 2 applications of Tartan Stressgard at 2 oz, 28 days apart