Evaluation of Fungicide Program Efficacy for Anthracnose control on annual bluegrass putting green turf in New Brunswick, NJ, 2024 and 2025

Anthracnose, caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum cereale, is a devastating disease on annual bluegrass (Poa annua) turf. Symptoms of anthracnose on annual bluegrass will present as elongated yellow leaf lesions and these lesions can coalesce into a large area of declined turf. Oftentimes, small black acervuli appear in the centers of the lesions containing crescent-shaped conidia. As the disease progresses, the leaf tissue will turn brown and may develop abundant acervuli covering the leaves and crowns. This report evaluates the efficacy of synthetic fungicides on the management of annual bluegrass anthracnose. Results from this trial will help turfgrass managers develop effective management programs for anthracnose.