This research addressed the identification and distribution of selected ERI fungi within two greens at Mississippi State University Golf Institute using novel molecular methods, spatial relationships of fungal distribution and turf health assessments, and fungal sensitivity to selected fungicides. A complex of ERI fungi was identified in both greens. Gaeumannomyces graminis, Gaeumannomyces sp., and Candidacolonium cynodontis were randomly distributed based on spatial autocorrelation in both green samplings, while Magnaporthiopsis cynodontis clustered in Green 2 for both samplings and in Green 12 of the 2018 sampling. Clustering of turf health values was variable by month in each green, and no spatial relationship was determined between turf health values and fungal presence. Five ERI fungal isolates were exposed to four fungicide classes with relative growth present at 100 ppm. The EC50 values for the selected fungi ranged from 2.33 to >100 ppm and suggests a lack of sensitivity to the selected fungicides.

This research addressed the effects of cultural management practices, cultivar selection, and applications of seasonal fungicides on ultradwarf bermudagrass health and playability and occurrence of foliar diseases. Additionally, novel ectotrophic root-infecting fungi were isolated from ultradwarf bermudagrass roots exhibiting symptoms of summer decline, identified via multilocus phylogenetic analyses, and characterized by morphological assessments and pathogenicity evaluations.