Lightweight Rolling Effects on Anthracnose of Annual Bluegrass Putting Greens

Abstract

Lightweight rolling can be effectively used to increase ball roll distance (BRD) and influence anthracnose development on annual bluegrass (ABG) [Poa annua L. f. reptans (Hausskn) T. Koyama] putting green turf. The objective of this 3‐yr field trial was to evaluate the influence of roller type (i.e., sidewinder, triplex mounted vibratory, and nonrolled) and location (center or perimeter) of equipment traffic on anthracnose severity, turf quality, and BRD of ABG turf maintained at 3.2 mm. Both roller types either had no effect or reduced disease 3 to 13% compared to nonrolled turf under moderate disease pressure in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Disease severity was not different between the roller types on most dates; however, the heavier sidewinder roller did result in less disease than the triplex mounted vibratory roller on 4 of 13 rating dates in 2007 and 2008. Interestingly, perimeter plots had slightly less disease compared to center plots on 6 of 13 rating dates. The current study shows that the practice of rolling does not explain field observations that greater anthracnose can often occur and is most severe within the perimeter of putting greens. Alternatively, this research indicates that rolling can be used to increase BRD and improve turf quality without exacerbating the severity of anthracnose disease on ABG putting green turf.