South Africa Turf Disease Guide - Red Thread

Causal Agent:

Red Thread – Laetisaria fuciformis

Susceptible Turfgrass:

Most turfgrasses, but particularly severe on Bermudagrass, Creeping Bentgrass, Fine-Leaf Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass and Poa Annua.

Symptoms:

Red Thread causes patches that are reddish-brown in colour and 2.5 to 10 cm in diameter up to 0.5 m.

Conditions Favouring Disease:

Red Thread thrives in temperatures between 4°C to 29°C and in locations that are low in nitrogen. It also occurs in areas that experience more than 10 hours a day of foliar wetness for several consecutive days.

Integrated Turf Management Tips:

1. Mow turf frequently and collect clippings to remove diseased portions of the leaves
2. Maintain adequate nitrogen and a balanced fertility
3. Apply moderate to high amounts of phosphorous and potash
4. Maintain the soil pH between 6.5 to 7.0
5. Reduce shade
6. Increase the air circulation to the turf’s drying process
7. Irrigate turf deeply and as infrequently as possible
8. Use fungicides to control disease when it is a chronic problem

Just tap the links below to read about other turf diseases. Or download the full free guide at the bottom.

1. Anthracnose
2. Brown Patch 
3. Brown Ring Patch (Waitea Patch) 
4. Dollar Spot 
5. Fairy Ring 
6. Superficial Fairy Ring 
7. Grey Leaf Spot 
8. Large Patch 
9. Microdochium Patch 
10. Powdery Mildew 
11. Pythium Blight 
12. Pythium Root Rot (Root Dysfunction) 
13. Red Thread 
14. Rhizoctonia Zeae (Rhizoctonia leaf and sheath spot) 
15. Rusts: Crown, Leaf and Stem 
16. Spring Dead Spot 
17. Summer Patch 
18. Take-all Patch  and
19. Take-all Root Rot 

If you would like to have a complete copy with all the turf diseases, you can download it on the link below.