Transcript Slide 1

Louisiana Yards and
Neighborhoods
www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn
Common
Landscape Diseases
Diseases in the Landscape
Diseases occur on landscape plants
when environmental conditions are suitable
for pathogens to develop on them.
Prevention is the key
to the management of disease in the landscape.
Powdery Mildew
• Caused by fungi
• Spread by wind
• Favored by high
humidity and
moderate
temperatures
Leaf Spots
and Blights
• Caused by fungi, bacteria
and algae
• Spread primarily by wind
and splashing water
• Favored by extended
periods of leaf wetness
and high humidity
Anthracnose
• Caused by fungi
• Attack all aboveground
plant parts
• Spread primarily by
splashing water
• Favored by extended
periods of leaf wetness
and high humidity
Fire Blight
• Caused by a bacterium
• Spread by splashing
water, bees and on
pruning tools
• Enters primarily through
flowers
• Prune out infected
branches
• Choose resistant
varieties
Root and Crown Rots
• Caused primarily by
fungi, “water molds”
and nematodes
• Spread primarily in
water, soil and
planting materials
• Favored by poor
drainage and excess
moisture
Viruses
• Spread primarily by
insects, in infected sap
and through
propagation material
• Once a plant is infected,
there is no cure
Turf Grass
Patch Diseases
• Caused primarily by
fungi, “water molds”
and nematodes
• Environmental stresses
often predispose turf to
pathogen attack
• Follow BMPs for growing
and maintaining healthy
turf to prevent disease
Fairy Rings
• Caused primarily by fungi
that produce mushrooms
or “toadstools.”
• These fungi grow on
buried wood, tree roots or
other organic matter in
the soil, not on the grass!
• Difficult to control; must
break up the hydrophobic
fungal layer in the soil.
Environmental Factors
• Do not spread from
plant to plant
• Caused by factors such
as drought, excess
water, nutrient
deficiencies or
toxicities, etc.
Louisiana Yards and
Neighborhoods
www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn
Common
Landscape Diseases