Integrated Management of Dollar Spot Disease of Creeping Bentgrass Using Soil Conditioners
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Dollar spot, caused by the fungus Clarireedia jacksonii, can lead to considerable damage to creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) on golf course greens. This one-year study assessed management strategies that integrated soil conditioners (fish emulsion, fish hydrolysate, worm castings, and spent mushroom compost) with a rolling treatment to reduce dollar spot severity. None of the soil conditioners reduced dollar spot in the greenhouse or field studies, nor was there any improvement in turf color, clippings, root dry weight or tissue N content. The rolling treatment had a significant effect on turf color and reduced dollar spot severity at one location and only when disease pressure was high. The results indicated that the use of soil conditioners would not be a recommended practice for dollar spot when disease pressure is high but rolling could be included as a management practice to suppress dollar spot.