Brown Patch Risk on the Rise

07/16/2012

Brown patch will become more active in the southeast and mid-Atlantic region as the week progresses.  Greatest risk is where hot humid weather along with nighttime temperatures exceeding  70’s are present.  Thunderstorms are  hitting (and missing) through the region adding moisture to areas that have been dry.  It is not surprising to see Rhizoctonia blight (or more commonly known as brown patch) active especially in shaded or low lying areas.  The difficulty with diagnosing brown patch is that some of the brown patch may not produce the "picture perfect" symptoms.  The result is some self-doubt in what actually is causing the disease.  For example, some brown patch this morning had mycelium present, or in other cases the patch may be the diameter of a spread hand with inner part of the circle appearing healthy.