Dr. Phyto

Cock's-foot (orchard grass)

Dactylis glomerata

Diseases & pests on this plant

• barley powdery mildewBlumeria graminis f.sp. hordei

  White cottony pustules on upper leaf surfaces of lower canopy, pustules darken to grey-brown with age, infected leaves yellow and senesce 2–3 weeks early.

• wheat yellow rustPuccinia striiformis

  Bright yellow-orange pustules in long stripes parallel to leaf veins, often along whole leaf length, easily rubbed off as powdery spores, infected leaves shrivel and senesce early.

• sheath blightRhizoctonia solani
• Leaf spot and common root rotBipolaris sorokiniana

  Small dark brown to black leaf spots, often with a yellow halo, that enlarge and merge to blight whole leaves in warm, humid weather; on close-mown turf this becomes a general thinning and bronzing. Below ground the same fungus causes a brown rot of roots, crowns and stem bases, so plants are easily pulled up and the turf melts out in diffuse, irregular brown areas. Most damaging in warm summer spells on stressed, thatchy lawns.

• ergot of rye + cerealsClaviceps purpurea

  Hard purple-black curved sclerotia (5-30mm long) replacing kernels in cereal heads (very distinctive — looks like a black banana stuck in the head), honeydew (sticky yellow exudate) on flowering heads during infection phase, sclerotia drop to ground at harvest + survive winter, contaminated grain dangerous for human + animal consumption.

• Drought dormancy (lawn)Lawn drought dormancy

  Large, irregular areas of the lawn turn uniformly straw-yellow to tan during hot, dry spells, usually starting on the sunniest, most exposed parts and over sandy or shallow soil. Footprints stay visibly pressed in (loss of springiness), but the crowns at the base of the plants remain alive and the grass greens up again after rain.

• pink snow mouldMicrodochium nivale

  Patches of dead seedlings emerging after snowmelt, pinkish-white fluffy mycelium covering plants in cold humid mornings, surviving plants are stunted with brown crown rot.