We don't have a whole lot of MiniVerde in North Carolina yet, but we've had several reports of widespread rings appearing on MiniVerde greens as they are greening up this spring. Interestingly, we haven't had similar reports from superintendents with Champion or Tifeagle greens.
The rings on MiniVerde are typically about 1 foot in diameter and are very irregular in shape, not perfectly circular. The turf on the outer edge has a yellow or reddish-brown cast to it.
Any time we see this type of spring symptom on warm-season grasses, we automatically think that it is large patch caused by Rhizoctonia solani. Based on our initial look at samples, it is definitely a Rhizoctonia disease, but we are isolating to confirm exactly which species is the culprit.
Either way, recovery should be very quick once sunlight and warm temperatures come and the bermudagrass starts growing aggressively. In fact, two superintendents reported that the symptoms have already become less noticeable as the bermudagrass continued to green up.
A fungicide application probably isn't necessary, but could help to speed up the recovery process if the symptoms are very severe or widespread. Any systemic Rhizoctonia fungicide, such as azoxystrobin, flutolanil, or fluoxastrobin should provide good control. Check out the Disease Management Utility for a complete list of products labeled for large patch control.
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