Summer is here, which means Pythium isn’t far behind. Grease spot, cottony blight or Pythium blight—call it what you will, it’s ugly. And it moves fast! Here are five things to remember about Pythium blight.
1. Pythium blight can be caused by several different species of Pythium; the most common are Pythium aphanidermatum and P. ultimum. In fact, six different species of Pythium have been identified as causing Pythium blight; these six also can cause root rot.
2. Ryegrass, bluegrass, fescue and bentgrass are all susceptible to Pythium blight.
3. Conditions that favor Pythium blight development include a prolonged leaf wetness period of more than 12 hours, daytime temperatures above 82 °F, and night time temperatures above 65 °F.
4. Preventive fungicide applications are critical to protecting turf. Phosphonates are excellent fungicides to use when disease pressure is low. If the above conditions are expected and, therefore, intense disease pressure is expected, rely on other chemistries. Stellar Fungicide from Valent Professional Products is one example that successfully controls Pythium blight. If left unchecked, Pythium blight can devastate turf within 2-3 days.
5. Reapply fungicides on a 14-21 day interval and rotate chemistries. Pythium resistance to certain fungicides has been documented.
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