Lawn & Turf Tips:  Take-All

Take-All (Ophioboius Patch)

Disease Description

Patches with bleached or bronzed margins develop in turf.  The centers are killed and invaded by broadleaved weeds and other grasses.  Grass in patch margins has little root hold.  Small, beaked black fungal structures develop at base of shoots in fall.  Patches progress in size from 5 cm to 1m or more in diameter and persist for several seasons.  The disease causes serious problems especially on new turf formed on forest or sandy soils.

Predisposing factors

• While many grasses are attacked, Bentgrass ( Agrostis sp.) are most severely damaged.
• Most common in higher rainfall areas following applications of lime or other alkaline tending materials.
• Chemical soil sterilization or use of a wide-spectrum fungicide may inhibit antagonistic organisms and allow the fungus to develop with little check.

Cultural Control

Where the disease is likely to occur, especially on Bentgrass, use an acid-tending top dressing such as ammonium sulphate.  Acid materials are usually not necessary on new turf on forest soils. Get a soil test to determine pH of soil before trying to raise or lower pH. Renovate diseased patches with resistant or more tolerant grass species such as fescues or bluegrasses.