Editor’s note: The following article was supplied by PBI-Gordon. All product claims, research cited and other information is directly from the company.
Brown patch and dollar spot don’t agree on everything. For instance, they disagree on wet soil and nitrogen. But they both love it when the weather is hot and humid, and they both love weak turf. They are two of the most common turf diseases in the world, and both agree that Tekken Broad Spectrum Fungicide controls them for up to 28 days. Yes, 28 days.
Caused by the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, brown patch is particularly fond of managed turfgrass that stays wet due to overwatering and poor drainage, or just dew, rain and humidity. When the grass blades stay wet and temperatures rise above 80 degrees F during the day and 65 degrees F at night, brown patch is happy. Brown patch also loves excess nitrogen fertilizers.
Dollar spot is caused by the fungus Clarireedia jacksonii, and it prefers managed turfgrass in dry soil. Like brown patch, dollar spot likes warm days and cool nights (between 60 degrees F and 90 degrees F), and heavy dew. But dollar spot does best where soil nitrogen content is low.
So, we have two diseases that thrive in slightly different situations. How do we control them? First, as always, we employ best management practices. That includes:
- Irrigate properly: Water deeply and infrequently.
- Fertilize properly — neither too much nitrogen, nor too little.
- Manually remove dew from grass leaves.
- Plant cultivars that are more disease-tolerant.
For chemical control, we go back to what we said earlier: Tekken Broad Spectrum Fungicide controls brown patch and dollar spot for up to 28 days. Its two modes of action provide dependable control of 19 other tough diseases, too, including anthracnose and brown ring patch.
And yes, Tekken controls brown patch and dollar spot for up to 28 days.
We’re emphasizing the 28 days because we hear some folks find it hard to believe. And we understand that. Twenty-eight-day control is a powerful claim, and you have a lot on the line when you choose a fungicide — namely, your turf and your job. There are variables, of course. Turf conditions, weather conditions — these things will affect how long Tekken control lasts, as they do any professional-grade turf fungicide. But here are two university studies that show Tekken lasts up to 28 days.
Applications began May 19, 2017, and followed 14-, 21- or 28-day schedules. Evaluations conducted on July 20, Aug. 3 and Aug. 18, 2017.
Application began May 6, 2016, and followed 14- or 28-day schedules. Evaluations conducted on Aug. 26, 2016.
One last thing these two diseases have in common: resistance development. It’s vital to the success of the entire professional turf industry that we manage fungicide and herbicide resistance. That’s why PBI-Gordon Turf developed Rotation Nation. It’s a series of region-specific application programs designed to control turf diseases and weeds while managing resistance, using a variety of products and active ingredients from our industry partners and even competitors. That’s how important rotation is to resistance management.
For more information on Rotation Nation and PBI-Gordon Turf products, please visit PBIGordonTurf.com.