Gray leaf spot (Pyricularia grisea) is a disease of increasing concern, especially in the Mid-Atlantic and Transition Zone areas, where perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) has been extremely susceptible. To help turfgrass managers battle gray leaf spot, researchers at Pure-Seed Testing, Inc., in Rolesville, NC are conducting trials exposing perennial ryegrass to heavy gray leaf spot pressure. The varieties that perform in the top 12% of those trials show good-to-excellent gray leaf spot resistance, with 60-100% live mature turf after being subjected to high levels of gray leaf spot disease pressure. The majority of commercially available perennial ryegrass varieties succumbed. |
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Pure-Seed Testing, Inc. works to identify perennial ryegrass varieties with increased gray leaf spot resistance for use in breeding projects. These gray leaf spot outbreaks have occurred on mature turf trials that are 9-12 months old. Of 43 commercially available varieties evaluated in 2004, 38 (88%) rated below 2.0 for gray leaf spot damage. This is based on a scale of 1-9, where 9 = no disease and 1 = dead. In 2005, 88% of varieties rated below 4.0. Each year, perennial ryegrass survivors from the Pure-Seed, Inc. test trials in North Carolina are in the top 12% of surviving test plots. |
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