Fifteen years of findings: Advancements in spring dead spot research from 2009 to 2024

Abstract

Spring dead spot (Ophiosphaerella spp.; SDS) is one of the most detrimental diseases to warm‐season turfgrasses, particularly bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.), growing in climates where cold temperatures induce dormancy. The pathogen can infect the crowns, stolons, rhizomes, and roots of bermudagrass most of the year, but infection in the fall predisposes the turf to winter injury and plant death. Symptoms typically appear the following spring, making management of SDS challenging. Moreover, the biology, epidemiology, and management of SDS are not fully understood. Ample research has been conducted on SDS which was thoroughly summarized before 2009 by Tredway et al. Since then, 18 new research papers have been published over the last 15 years that have further clarified the biology, epidemiology, and management of SDS. This review seeks to compile, update, and summarize research developments on SDS from 2009 to 2024. Research developments over the last 15 years include an increased understanding of the biology and infection mechanisms of the Ophiosphaerella species that cause SDS, a greater knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease and factors that affect its distribution, as well as improved cultural and chemical management practices for SDS.