Turf - Disarm Fungicide

The following is information on Disarm fungicide for use in Turf for disease control.

Disarm® 480 SC fungicide (containing the active ingredient fluoxastrobin) is a relatively new systemic QoI fungicide for turf disease control from Arysta Life Science. The QoI family of fungicides currently sold for turf disease control are chemically classified as strobilurin fungicides, and readers may know them by that name. This fungicide family includes Heritage® (azoxystrobin), Compass® (trifloxystrobin), and Insignia® (pyraclostrobin).

Diseases controlled

Disarm® is labeled for control of a wide variety of diseases. The symbol (*) indicates that the disease is common; (º) indicates the disease occurs but rarely warrants fungicide treatment.

Anthracnose (*)
Brown patch (*)
Cool-weather brown patch (=yellow patch) (*)
Fusarium patch (=Microdochium patch) (*)
Gray leaf spot (*)
Leaf spot caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana (*)
Melting Out caused by Drechslera poae (*)
Pink patch (º)
Pink snow mold (*)
Typhula blight (º)
Pythium blight (*)
Pythium root rot (*)
Red thread (*)
Southern blight (º)
Spring dead spot (*)
Summer patch (*)
Take-all patch (*)
Target spot (º)

Disarm has show to have good to excellent control of Brown Patch and Pythium Blight in University trials.

Resistance management

There are very specific use guidelines on the Disarm® label relating to reducing the risk of fungicide resistance. Resistance to QoI fungicides has been reported in gray leaf spot, anthracnose, and Pythium blight, and I don't think it is overly pessimistic to predict that other diseases will develop resistance with continued use of these fungicides. Therefore, it is important to pay close attention to the use restrictions on the Disarm® label as well as the labels of all QoI fungicides.

Any time you apply fungicide which is at-risk for the development of resistance, you run the risk that you are selecting resistant biotypes of the pathogen. You cannot prevent the development of resistance if you are using the chemical. All you can hope to do is reduce the risk that the resistance will develop. The label guidelines are based on sound biological principles and will help reduce that risk.

Adapted from the article "DISARM®, A NEW FUNGICIDE FOR TURF DISEASE CONTROL" By Paul Vincelli in the March 12, 2007 edition of the Kentucky Pest New from the College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky.