10 CIRCULAR 747, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



moist weather. Livestock injury may result if severely infected 

 grasses are grazed or fed for hay. Substances in the sclerotia cause 

 abortion and if fed over long periods cause break-down of the 



capillaries, particularly in hoofs 



and ears. 



OTHER GRASSES 



Among other perennial grasses 

 subject to disease are timothy 

 {Phleumpratense L.), redtop (Agros- 

 tis gigantea Roth), orchard grass 

 (Dactylis glomerata L.), meadow 

 fescue (Festuca elatior L.), and 

 Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa 

 L.). 



Brown Stripe 



Brown stripe, caused by Scole- 

 cotrichum graminis Fckl., is a 

 fungus disease that attacks many 

 grasses, including all those listed 

 above. Symptoms on all grasses 

 are much the same and start with 

 a browning of the leaf blades from 

 the tips downward until the leaves 

 wither and die. In the browned 

 areas, black structures, arranged 

 linearly between the leaf veins, 

 are clearly visible (fig. 10). Each 

 1 structure represents a dense cluster 



| of conidiophores and conidia. The 



latter are borne on unbranched, 

 irregular conidiophores and are 

 elongated, slightly tapered, and 

 typically uniseptate. They are 

 readily disseminated by wind and 

 rain. Brown stripe is omnipresent 

 and is not at all seasonal in devel- 

 opment. It appears early in 

 spring and is present to a greater 

 Figure 10.— Brown stripe on orchard or less degree throughout the 

 grass. entire growing season. 



E ' 



