Determination of an Etiological Agent of Bermudagrass Decline

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis, G. incrustans and Phialophora spp. have been isolated in Florida from bermudagrass putting greens with bermudagrass decline symptoms. Using a containerized test system, G. g. graminis isolates, but not G. incrustans or Phialophora spp. isolates, were pathogenic to hybrid bermudagrass. A Magnaporthe poae isolate, obtained from bentgrass turf grown in Florida, also was pathogenic to bermudagrass. However, M. poae has not been identified from bermudagrass in nature (...)