Symptoms:
- Light yellow flecks initially on the leaf blades and sheaths.
- Flecks enlarge, elongate, and turn yellow in color.
- Infected areas rise above the epidermis and then rupture, releasing spores that are yellowish-orange to reddish-orange in color.
- Leaf blades turn yellow, starting at the tip and progressing to the base sheath.
- Severe disease infection can cause the shoot to turn yellowish to reddish-brown in color and slow in growth.
- Turf may appear thin as individual shoots die.
Conditions Favoring Disease:
- Typically occur in early spring through fall, depending on the location of the turf.
- Favors low-light areas.
- Depending on the species, rusts favor temperatures between 65F and 86F.
- Severe rusts infections occur on slow-growing turfgrass, particularly those with low nitrogen levels and/or plant water stress.
