Pitch technology for grass disease management in a stadia environment

It is every grounds manager’s nightmare: a grass disease outbreak. Without proper treatment, severe outbreaks can significantly damage turfgrass within 24 hours, leading to poor pitch quality, increased risk of player injuries, and higher maintenance costs. Managing grass diseases is essential for maintaining a high-quality, safe playing surface. And the grounds managers sleep.

The disease triangle

Fungal diseases like Dollar Spot, Fusarium Patch, and Leaf Spot thrive in specific conditions. The disease triangle explains the interaction of three critical factors necessary for the development of grass diseases:

• Host – In this case, the grass plant is the host. Different grass species or cultivars may have varying resistance levels to specific diseases.
• Pathogen – The pathogen is the organism (fungus, bacterium, or virus) that causes the disease.
• Environment – Factors such as moisture, temperature, and soil conditions can create a favorable environment for pathogens to thrive and infect the host.

For a disease outbreak to occur, all three components of the disease triangle must align: there must be a susceptible host, a present and active pathogen, and favorable environmental conditions. Breaking this triangle by addressing one or more of these components can help control diseases.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Grounds managers can take several measures to disrupt the disease triangle. IPM is an environmentally sensitive approach to preventing and controlling grass diseases. It includes the following strategies:

• Prevention
  Choose a cultivar that is resistant to common grass diseases. This encourages healthy soil conditions and plant resilience. Also clean your mowers and other equipment frequently.

2.Cultural Practices
Maintain vigorous turfgrass through practices such as aeration, fertilization, overseeding, mowing, topdressing, and proper watering. It's also important to manage organic build-up on the turf.

3.Monitoring
Early detection of grass disease symptoms is key. The SGL Portal provides real-time data on pitch conditions through the TurfPod (SGL’s data collection tool). The 'Disease Forecast' module uses this data to predict the likelihood of grass diseases and alerts the grounds manager when the turf is at greater risk.

4.Diagnostics
If you unfortunately have a disease, knowing what it is will help to determine the necessary actions.

5.UVC-technology
UVC-technology is the environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals. It kills fungi that infect the grass without damaging the plant itself and prevents further spread of the disease. This keeps the playing surface healthy while reducing the club’s ecological footprint.

6.Pesticides
While increasingly restricted, pesticides remain an effective tool for controlling grass diseases. However, their use should be minimised due to their environmental impact.

Of course, every situation is unique, and measures must be tailored to specific conditions.

Learning LIVE at SALTEX

Want to learn more about grass disease management? Join our SALTEX Learning LIVE session on Wednesday, 30 October, at 13:00 on the Spotlight Stage. Simon Gumbrill (Global Key Accounts, SGL) and Scott Tingley (Grounds Manager, Watford F.C.) will share valuable insights and experiences on pitch technology and grass disease management in this free-to-attend session.