Share Print: Email:   THE WILT THAT WASN'T

5/17/2012 Since it became a widespread nuisance at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., the pathogen some call “bacterial wilt” has skyrocketed into the spotlight of turfgrass pathogens. It’s become one of the Ten Most Wanted for golf course superintendents and turf researchers alike. But those researchers still haven’t even agreed on what it actually is. Though they sometimes disagree on findings, this pathogen has split some labs into camps.  Does it exist? “Bacterial wilt is a real disease,” says Dr. Lane Tredway, senior technical field representative for Syngenta. “It’s a documented disease on annual bluegrass caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas translucens. The same bacteria was implicated in the cause of the widespread decline of Toronto creeping bentgrass in the early 80s. What we’re seeing today may or may not be related to that.” Read the entire article at Golf Course Industry