White blight
Melanotus phillipsii
A warm-weather blight primarily of fescues, producing white patches with pink-salmon borders.
Identification
Blighted patches from 8–15 cm to over 30 cm, white with pink-to-salmon borders; leaf blades covered by grayish-white mycelium with necrosis progressing from the tips. Basidiocarps may form on blades.
Symptoms
White blight produces circular blighted patches that are distinctly white and often bordered by a pink to salmon-colored margin. Leaf blades become matted and appressed to the soil surface.
Signs
Grayish-white mycelium can cover the blighted leaf blades, and the affected tissue may appear matted on the soil surface.
Biology
White blight, also known as Melanotus white patch, is caused by the basidiomycete fungus Melanotus phillipsii and primarily affects cool-season turfgrasses.
Epidemiology
The disease is most active during hot, humid weather in summer and early autumn, particularly on cool-season grasses such as Festuca, Agrostis, Lolium, and Poa species.
Favorable Conditions
Hot, humid weather on Festuca species.
Cultural Management
Deep and infrequent irrigation can reduce disease-favorable moisture patterns, and autumn nitrogen may help affected turf recover.
Further Reading
University extension resources — open in a new tab.
Related Reports
No published reports yet for this pest.
Reports will appear here as they are peer-reviewed and published.