Leptosphaerulina Leaf Blight

Causal Agent: Leptosphaerulina spp.

Susceptible Turfgrasses: Wintergrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Bentgrass, Fescues & Ryegrass.

Symptoms

• Individual leaves generally start dying back from the tip and may have uniform yellow to brown lesions extending down to the leaf sheaths.

• Water-soaked spots on the leaf blade, may occur, these quickly fade to a bleached white colour.

• The overall effect of such lesions closely resembles bleaching from high temperatures, frost or dull mower injuries.

• Large areas of turf may become uniformly blighted or appear patchy because of local pockets or more heavily infected grass.

• Tiny brown fruiting bodies (perithecia) develop on the dead tissue.

Conditions Favouring Disease

• Periods of warm, humid weather.

• Stressful soil conditions.

• Severe on turf stressed by herbicides applied to control annual grass weeds.

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