02/27/2022 It is increasingly commonplace in the turf
industry for Managers to try and do the right thing in relation to monitoring
the environmental impact and using lower risk inputs, whether these be for
example fungicides or fertilisers. Gone are the days of the mercuric
fungicides!
This is an admirable approach but a major
issue is that there is little by way of good information on the non-target
impact of preventative (or curative for that matter) programmes. Spraying to
manage one disease can in fact encourage other diseases.
In 1995 Eric Nelson discussed the non-target
effects of fungicides in depth. The actual manner in which this disease
enhancement occurs depends on the specific environment in which applications
are made. The main reason this occurs is that by spraying to deal with a fungal
pathogen, you in turn cause a reduction in competition from other non-pathogenic
antagonistic microbes. This reduction leads other pathogenic species to proliferate
and become the main disease causing fungi.
Microbial
void
Ever had ongoing issues with pythium
sp? It appears that pythium sp are very good at filling
this microbial void. The same situation occurs with brown patch. Antagonistic
bi-nucleate Rhizoctonia species are commonly detrimentally affected by
fungicide sprays. Population reductions in these naturally occurring disease
controls result in an actual increase in brown patch!
On occasion Turfgrass Managers experience
times when a fungicide allows a particular disease to become more severe or
when a second disease occurs soon after a fungicide has been applied to control
the initial issue. Many companies promote preventative programmes in relation to disease management but give very little by way of technical information of what impact fungicide applications may actually have on beneficial organisms. The table below shows the impact of commonly used turf registered fungicides on the severity of turfgrass diseases.
Fungicides
that increase the severity of turfgrass diseases
Fungicide
Leaf
spot
Dollar
spot
Rhizoctonia
sp
Pythium
sp
Possible effect on Trichoderma sp
Chlorothalonil
Yes
Yes
Negative
Etridiazole
Yes
Yes
Negative. Need 10-14 day interval pre or post
application
Iprodione
Negative. Need 10-14 day interval pre or post
application
Mancozeb
Yes
Metalaxyl
Yes
Propiconazole
Yes
Negative
Thiram
Yes
Yes
Yes
Many
companies promote p
I am by no means suggesting that Managers
stop using fungicides but I do suggest that when adopting a spray programme be
aware of the implications of this approach. If issues develop and continue to
occur then alternative options such as cultural control etc. should be
examined.
In 2013 Jerry Spencer established Gilba Solutions as NSW-based independent sports turf consultants and turf agronomists. With an Hons Degree in Soil Science, he has over 30 years experience as an independent turf agronomist in the UK and in Australia. He is well versed in all aspects of professional…