Root Disease Profiling Service

Summer patch disease, caused by the fungus Magnaporthiopsis poae, and take-all patch, caused by Gaeumannomyces avenae, are well known to modern golf course superintendents. These diseases are historically difficult to identify from field symptoms alone and tricky to identify with classic turf diagnostic protocols in the laboratory as well.

Recent research has detected an emerging pathogen, Slopeiomyces cylindrosporus, in samples submitted to diagnostic laboratories across the country. All of these samples had disease symptoms in the field resembling both take-all and summer patch. The diseased turfgrass included Kentucky bluegrass, annual bluegrass, and creeping bentgrass. Many of the samples came into the laboratories despite well executed patch disease prevention programs. Each of these samples was first evaluated by laboratory diagnosticians using standard protocols, and were subsequently shared with the turf pathology research team in the lab of Dr. Ming-Yi Chou for molecular confirmation.

A high percentage of the samples we evaluated had Slopeiomyces cylindrosporus as the causal agent rather than Magnaporthiopsis or Gaeumannomyces. In fact, several other root-infecting fungi were also identified in the samples survey, and in several cases, multiple pathogens were found in the sample. Slopeiomyces was particularly common in the bentgrass plugs.

Slopeiomyces is morphologically identical to Magnaporthiopsis on turfgrass roots, so specialized testing is needed to separate the two fungi with 100% certainty. Furthermore, we are finding that Slopeiomyces will likely require different management strategies for optimal control than what we typically use in conventional take-all and summer patch programs. Proper identification and profiling of the pathogen or pathogen complex at your facility will allow you the opportunity to fine-tune your management program for these devastating diseases.

Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory is now providing a new service leveraging state-of-the-art gene sequencing technology to help separate the new pathogens from the old ones and help to profile the root-infecting patch disease fungal community at your facility.

Do you…

 

…have hard-to-control or uncontrollable patch diseases at your facility?

 

…have frequent break-throughs in your patch disease prevention programs?

 

…want to proactively develop a patch disease prevention program that is suited to the specific pathogen or pathogen complex that you have at your facility?

 

If you do, then we recommend you take advantage of this new service!

 

Be aware that gene sequencing technology takes more time than our traditional turf diagnostic protocols, so service turnaround time will be about 10 business days, rather than our typical 24-hour turnaround. Tentative results will be provided in 24-hours and confirmation of the pathogen(s) will follow in 10 business days.

Early spring sampling is necessary for preventive fungicide programs, so don’t wait!

 

Sample Submission Form (check “Molecular Root Pathogen Profile” box)

Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory Website

Contact Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory: Tel 732-932-9140. Email: rutgerspdl@rutgers.edu

 

Figure 1. An example root pathogen profile of a NJ Poa putting green sample with summer patch-like disease complex caused by S. cylindrosporus and M. yugambeh instead of M. poae.