Research Review on Turfgrass Disease in Korea

Turfgrass provides various beneficial effects to our societies such as recreation, aesthetic components, and other public service. Diseases in turfgrass is the major issue, which cause quality problems in golf courses, playgrounds, parks and cultivation areas, and tremendous cost is required to prevent the diseases. Research activity and investigation for turfgrass disease remain to be further attributed when compared to other crops in Korea. In this study, we present previously reported turfgrass diseases researches, especially caused by fungal pathogens, and review the history of turfgrass research activity in Korea to contribute future turfgrass research direction. Research papers were searched and analyzed using Korea Educational and Research Information Service (www.riss.kr). More than eighty papers presented turfgrass diseases and among the papers, 50% were published in Korean Journal of Turfgrass. Half of the papers reported turfgrass diseases control. Research articles about large patch disease were the majority (36%), followed dollar spot (18%), Pythium blight (10%) and Typhular blight (8%). Number of the first disease reports in Korea were total fifteen. Total 542 fungicides have been registered in Korea to prevent turfgrass diseases and most of the fungicides were for brown patch, rust, yellow patch, dollar spot, snow mold, summer patch, anthracnose, Pythium blight, powdery mildew and algae. And we will also need to conduct ecological studies on turf diseases and to develop control methods with improved efficacy and environmentally-friend sound. Researches on epidemiology of turfgrass diseases which deals with the incidence, distribution, and interactions with other factors will be also greatly favored for precise control prescription, timing of control and use of less pesticides.