Compost Tea for the Management of Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) on Turfgrass

Abstract

Turfgrasses are unique in their capability of tolerating foot traffic and physical wear, while still remaining functional and aesthetically pleasing. Fungal disease represents one of the most common limiting factors in managing turf for economical purposes. Dollar spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F.T. Bennett) represent one of the most common and persistent fungal diseases of turf grasses here in the Maritime Provinces. The results demonstrated the potential of compost tea (CT) to negate the harmful effects of the fungal toxic metabolite produced during a dollar spot infection, as well the teas showed to increase the activity of defense enzymes as compared to the control. The field study showed the potential for mink compost tea (M-CT) to control disease but its efficacy was site specific and quite variable. Finally the teas were determined to be quite consistent in composition and four secondary metabolites were determined to be present in the teas.