The University of Florida Disease Diagnostic Clinic was revamped last year, under the guidance of Dr. Phil Harmon, to provide golf courses with a Rapid Turf Diagnosis disease service for turfgrass managers. The new service has been a value to the golf course industry in our region, as it provides reliable and timely disease diagnoses and management suggestions. In its first year, the laboratory received 165 samples and has received 61 samples as of April this year. The results from those samples yielded the following results:

Other pathogens found included Nigrospora blight, Rhizoctonia circinata brown ring patch, Limonomyces pink patch, Fusarium blight, Michrodochium patch, gray leaf spot

It is interesting to note that no pathogens were found in many samples sent to the clinic. This result can be frustrating for a golf course superintendent who suffers turf damage or loss that is not caused by a pathogen. Samples are sometimes submitted following fungicide treatments, which can provide a false diagnosis. Oftentimes, other environmental, mechanical, chemical or climatic factors cause the damage and the problem cannot be easily fixed with a fungicide treatment.

A disease laboratory technician cannot determine whether turf loss occurred because of trees surrounding the putting green, improper drainage, or mechanic/climatic stress. Such factors can easily cause turf damage without the presence of pathogens and it may be necessary to conduct a Turfgrass Advisory Service visit by a qualified agronomist to assess the putting greens.

The clinic also provides updates on turfgrass diseases throughout the region. This information can be found at http://turfpath.ifas.ufl.edu/turfgrass/rapiddiag_disease.shtml. Dr. Harmon and associates also are receiving research funds from the USGA to study diseases on seashore paspalum. We appreciate the value that the University of Florida provides the turfgrass industry and the game of golf.

Learn more about turfgrass disease studies as well as a host of other research at the next field day on July 17 and 18. Visit http://turfpath.ifas.ufl.edu/turfgrass/fieldday.shtml to find out more.

Source: Todd Lowe, tlowe@usga.org or 941-828-2625