PPDL Picture of the Week
August 24, 2020
ORANGE SHOES, ANYONE?
Gail Ruhl and Tom Creswell, Plant Disease Diagnosticians, PPDL
Walking through your rust-infected lawn may be
just the ticket if you like orange shoes.
However, if orange is not your favorite color, you probably will not
appreciate this fungal turf disease!
Rust
diseases in turf are caused by several different fungi in the genus Puccinia
and Uromyces. In the Midwest, turf rust typically becomes noticeable in
late August and September. The rust-colored,
tiny spores of the fungus rub off easily on shoes, fingers, clothes and even
animals
romping through the grass.
Rust infections are most common on Kentucky bluegrass
and perennial ryegrass lawns.
Rust will cause the turf to take on a generally
yellow appearance and symptoms appear to be more evident when the weather is
dry.
Control recommendations include using blends of
resistant turf cultivars and providing adequate water and fertility levels to keep
the grass growing vigorously during dry periods. Fungicide treatments are recommended only if
the lawn has experienced continuous heavy infections.
Refer to the Diseases of Turfgrass page and click on Turfgrass Disease Profiles: Leaf Rust (BP-110-W) for more information on Rust on Turf.