Anthracnose is a group of diseases that cause dark, sunken lesions on leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits. Anthracnose infects many deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs and in some regions also infects fruits, vegetables, and turf grass
What are the Symptoms of Anthracnose?
Turf that succumbs to Anthracnose will see the pathogen infect the stem, crown, upper root tissue and lower foliar tissue, causing dark brown to black discolouration.Â
Leaves of infected plants turn yellow to a light tan to brown before dying. Younger leaves often turn red.
In anthracnose foliar blight, red to brown elongated lesions can appear on leaf blades, enlarging to blight the entire leaf. Blighted leaves turn yellow and begin to die back from the tip
Basal stem and leaf sheath rot, affected plants are easy to pull out.
Infected areas are seen as irregular-shaped patches, and affected patches are reddish brown colour before yellow then tan to brown.
A black stain may occur at the base of infected plants, this is an acervulus, a black fungal fruiting body. It can be seen using a hand lens often growing on the dead or infected tissue.
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What causes Anthracnose?
The fungal pathogen most commonly responsible for causing anthracnose diseases in turf is Colletotrichum graminicola. The pathogen can be identified by the presence of distinctive acervuli (fruiting bodies) which appear on infected plant tissue as black hairlike protrusions. These fungi are known to colonise plant tissue on most turf species, infecting crown and root tissue (known as basal rot), or foliage (foliar blight).
When does Anthracnose occur?
In general, the conditions favouring Anthracnose are:
Warm and humid conditions - particularly temperatures over 25°C.
More than 10 hours a day of leaf wetness for consecutive days.
Hot summers in cool temperature areas are when the disease is most noticeable.
Soil compaction and low amounts of nitrogen also contribute to disease occurrence.
What turfgrasses are especially susceptible to Anthracnose diseases?
Wintergrass (Poa annua), Bentgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Fescue & Couch. Though bentgrass suffers from anthracnose foliar blight, it is not known to become infected with the basal rot which commonly affects P. annua.
What can I do to manage Anthracnose diseases?
Anthracnose will often infect plants in a weakened or stressed state. Management practices that help reduce plant stress can be beneficial:
Maintaining adequate nutrition and a balanced fertility level (avoid phosphorus and potassium deficiencies)
Proper irrigation (avoid overwatering and underwatering), and regular aeration.
Infected turf can often require micromanagement to reduce symptoms, including raising mowing height and reducing mowing frequency
Decrease surface traffic.Â
Core aerate and overseed in autumn but do not core aerate while disease symptoms are present.
Convert to less susceptible varieties of turfgrass on fairways.
Avoid management practices that encourage humidity and extended leaf wetness.
Make preventative fungicide applications where the disease is a chronic problem.
For chemical solutions or treatments for Anthracnose, please see the recommended products below.
Velista is a powerful broad spectrum fungicide that can be used all year round and can be trusted to keep your turf in excellent condition especially when high temperatures and high humidity hit your facility.
Captan 800 WG controls a broad spectrum of diseases in turf, ornamentals as well as a range of crops including apples, almonds, grapes, pears, pistachios, stonefruit and strawberries.
Quali-Pro Enclave is registered for the broad spectrum, eradicant, curative and preventative control of Brown Patch, Fusarium Patch, Anthracnose, Dollar Spot, Helminthosporium, Grey Leaf Spot and Spring Dead Spot in all recreational turf management situations.
Banner Maxx is early curative treatment, providing systemic broad-spectrum control of Dollar Spot, Winter Fusarium, and the ERI complex (Couchgrass Decline and Take-all Patch).
Dedicate FORTE Stressgard® is a broad-spectrum DMI fungicide containing tebuconazole (240 g/L) with Stressgard Formulation Technology, and controls tough soil-borne and foliar fungal diseases in both cool and warm season turfgrass.
Dedicate turf fungicide contains two active ingredients with two different modes of action, providing curative and preventative control. It has a contact and systemic action in turf which provides broad spectrum control.
Signature Xtra Stressgard is a true systemic fungicide that controls tough turf diseases – pythium and anthracnose, as well as enhancing turf health and minimising turf stress.
Azoxy 250 T&O Fungicide (active constituent Azoxystrobin) is an effective xylem systemic fungicide that delivers excellent protection for up to 28 days against a wide spectrum of Turf, Nursery Stock and Ornamental diseases.
Edict Duo is a broad spectrum fungicide containing the active ingredients Trifloxystrobin (100g/L) and Tebuconazole (200g/L). It is registered for the control of Anthracnose, Brown Patch, Winter Fusarium, Helminthosporium diseases (including White Helmo), Leptosphaerulina, Curvularia, Dollar Spot and ERI (Ectotrophic Root Infecting Fungi) diseases.
Edict Disease Control is fungicide for use on Lawns, Azaleas, Roses, other general ornamental gardenplants. Edict Disease Control provides systemic andcontact disease control, both on a preventative andcurative basis. Edict controls Anthracnose, Brown Patch, Winter Fusarium, Leptosphaerulina (Leaf Blight), Curvularia (Fading Out) and Dollar Spot in lawn situations. Edict also controls azalea petal blight, myrtle rust, Botrytis Blight, Leaf Spots as well as mildew.
Vantage fungicide is a broad spectrum, systemic fungicide containing 95 g/L of the active constituent Azoxystrobin, a trusted chemistry for Australian turf professionals.
