Fungicide, Curative

When an aggressive disease outbreak occurs, a typical response is to apply a curative fungicide to halt any further spread of the disease and to kill it off so as to allow the affected turf to recover.

A curative fungicide will usually be very effective and quick in its control of the disease, thereby allowing the grounds manager to take stock of damage caused and carry out repair or renovation work as required.

A curative will also typically be effective for a short period of time and a subsequent outbreak will then need another (which will usually also mean expensive) application of fungicide.

Over time a disease can also build-up resistance to a specific chemical in a fungicide, so it is therefore important to vary the approved chemicals used to reduce the likelihood of this happening.

An important consideration following any fungicide application is to reflect on why the disease outbreak occurred. Most likely a significant contributory factor will be that the sward was stressed, and also with a relatively high content of annual meadow grass, which is susceptible to many turfgrass diseases. The range of contributory factors for the outbreak need to be addressed, rather than just relying on a routine programme of fungicide applications.