By Ning Zhang and Jing Luo, Rutgers University
Summer patch is a common and destructive root disease of fine fescue grasses. It causes root, crown and stem rot that develops during periods of summer stress (Smiley et al., 2005). The known causal agents of summer patch are two fungal species, Magnaporthiopsis poae and M. meyeri-festucae that belong to the order Magnaporthales (Luo et al., 2017).
By Cathryn Chapman, Ryan Daddio, Henry Qu, and Bingru Huang; Rutgers University
Hard fescues are often utilized for their low input maintenance requirements, but are susceptible to heat stress. With annual temperatures rising, there is both a demand for more heat-tolerant hard fescue turfgrasses and a demand for effective strategies for assessing phenotypic traits to select or screen for heat-tolerant genotypes in hard fescue.
By Cathryn Chapman and Bingru Huang, Rutgers University
Heat stress can limit the growth of cool-season turfgrass species and inhibit important metabolic processes and functions, which can negatively impact the overall aesthetic qualities of the turfgrass canopy. Damages to the turfgrass canopy due to heat stress can be severe and permanent if turfgrass plants experience prolonged temperature conditions that are above the optimal level.
By Jing Luo and Ning Zhang, Rutgers University
Summer patch is an economically important root disease on turfgrasses used on golf courses, sports fields, and lawns. It causes root, crown and stem rot that develop during periods of summer stress.
Turfgrass researchers from Rutgers recently produced many interesting videos as part of their 2020 Virtual Turfgrass Research Field Day. This video features Brad Park, a laboratory researcher at Rutgers who conducts research as part of our Low Input Turf project, discussing research on optimal seeding times for fine fescues.
Turfgrass researchers from Rutgers recently produced many interesting videos as part of their 2020 Virtual Turfgrass Research Field Day. This video features Dr. Stacy Bonos, a turfgrass breeder at Rutgers who collaborates on our Low Input Turf project, discussing Rutger's fine fescue breeding program.
By Bingru Huang, Rutgers University
Heat stress is a primary limiting factor for the growth of cool-season turfgrass species, as the optimal temperature for these species are between 60 and 75 oF, but summer temperatures in many areas are often much higher than this temperature range. One of the most desirable traits for cool-season turfgrasses, such as fine fescue, is good heat tolerance, which enables sustainable turf growth through hot summer months with reduced inputs.
By Jing Luo and Ning Zhang, Rutgers University
Summer patch is a damaging disease of turfgrasses that is most common in warm weather. It is caused by fungal pathogens that attack and colonize plant roots. Besides fine fescues, many types of turfgrasses, including bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and annual bluegrass, are susceptible to this disease (Smiley et al. 2005).