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| Acervuli of Anthracnose viewed at 100X |
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| Conidia (Spores) produced by Acervuli viewed at 400X |
Tools of our Trade
Another important tool that some superintendent's use is a compound microscope. A few posts back I mentioned a field microscope that will allow us to view certain diseases at 40X. A compound microscope fitted with the right lenses will allow us to view things from 40X all the way to 1,000X. Why is this important? Fungal organisms that attack turf have their own morphology, with some producing spores that can only be seen at 400X and microscopy is the only way to be 100% positive in identification. With the rising costs of fungicides and diseases being able to become resistant to fungicides we need to be right about the diseases that are attacking the turf. Below is a photo of our microscope, some of the essential tools that are required in viewing turfgrass pathogens and a couple of photos at of a disease called Anthracnose.
