Since 2005, a serious emerging disease called fairway patch has occurred on the fairways, tees and green surrounds of a number of golf courses in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. It occurs most commonly on couch or bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) but has also been found on kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) fairways at one golf course in Sydney. The disease begins as small patches (5–10 cm diam.) of yellow to tan-coloured grass. The patches enlarge into tan-coloured rings up to 1 m in diameter, which often coalesce to form unsightly brown networks of dead and dying grass. The patches are present all the year round but are most pronounced from late spring to late autumn. Fungal isolation from diseased roots and pathogenicity tests have proven that a slow-growing (ca. 2 mm/day on PDA at 25 °C), dark, septate, non-sporulating fungus is the cause of fairway patch. Phylogenetic analysis of the pathogen’s rDNA ITS and partial 28S sequences has shown that it is a new taxon and is described as Phialocephala bamuru P.T.W. Wong & C. Dong sp. nov. It belongs to a heterogeneous clade that includes Phialocephala, Acephala, Vibrissea, Phaeomollisia and Mollisia spp., but, as it is phylogenetically closest to Phialocephala spp. (94–95 % ITS affinities), it has been described as a Phialocephala species although it has not been shown to produce spores in culture. Research is continuing to study the biology and ecology of this ectotrophic root-infecting fungal pathogen and develop practical strategies to manage the disease.
