Disease Testing

As sports turf consultants we are able to test for all standard diseases but are also one of the few able to test for the actual pythium variety present. 

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This can have a huge impact on the efficacy of any pythium control programme.

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Pythium root dysfunction

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The standard registered Pythium fungicides alone show no activity against Pythium root dysfunction and the only treatment that showed efficacy in early 2004 was a combination utilizing azoxystrobin.

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This means that unless the correct diagnosis is made that you can spend thousands of dollars with little result by incorrect choice of pesticides.

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Fungicides applied as part of a preventative program are usually more effective than when applied in a curative program.

 

In the case of Pythium root rot, applications of commercial fungicides containing ethazole, mefenoxam, fosetyl-AL or propamocarb have been shown to be effective where this disease has been a chronic problem in the turf.

 

Fungicides targeting Pythium sp can be applied in recommended tank mixes and rotated among appropriate chemical groups. Resistance to strobilurins, mefenoxam, and propamocarb has been documented in Pythium sp populations.

 

Repeated applications of fungicides with the same mode of action favour the development of fungicide resistance.