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Disease Management

Cultural management

Susceptibility to Colletotrichum cereale is enhanced in turfgrass that is subjected to stresses such as high temperature, root zone compaction, thatch accumulation, low fertility, drought, low mowing height, and insect infestation. Cultural practices that reduce these and other stresses often help to limit anthracnose incidence and severity. These practices include core aerification, dethatching, topdressing, use of light weight equipment including mowers, increased nitrogen fertilization, and sufficient irrigation to prevent drought stress. To be effective, however, such management practices should be initiated before anthracnose symptoms develop. Some cultural practices such as core aerification, dethatching, and topdressing may create wounds that serve as infection sites for C. cereale. Therefore, a fungicide treatment may be required prior to use of these procedures. Since spores of C. cereale require more than 12 hours of continuous leaf wetness to germinate and infect, attempts should be made to avoid long periods of leaf wetness. Leaf surfaces should be allowed to dry completely before sunset. Trees and shrubs should be pruned to enhance air circulation, and fans can be strategically placed around turf areas where air circulation is poor.

Chemical management

Several contact (e.g., chlorothalonil), penetrant (e.g., trifloxystrobin), and systemic (e.g., propiconazole) fungicides are registered for control of anthracnose. Each of these fungicides can provide preventive (pre-infection) control, whereas only penetrant and systemic fungicides have curative (post-infection) activity. In some states of the US, populations of C. cereale have developed resistance to benzimidazole (e.g., thiophanate methyl) and QoI (quinone outside inhibitor) fungicides (e.g., azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin, and pyraclostrobin).

Biological control

Surface hydrophobicity has been found to induce spore germination of C. cereale on corn. In the future, selection of annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass with a non-waxy cuticle may be a novel strategy that can delay or interfere with germination of C. cereale conidia, as has been suggested for corn.

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