Are Etiolated Tillers A Visual Nuisance or Something Else?

Have you ever noticed the distinct, visual appearance of elongated or etiolated turfgrass leaf blades on tees, fairways or greens? In areas where the turfgrass surface is perfectly even and manicured, you might have noticed an occasional leaf blade stretching upward an inch or more above the neatly mowed canopy. The typical etiolated leaf blade has an abnormal appearance of a yellow or light-green color. Incidentally, the term etiolated is derived from the French etioler, which means to grow pale and weak (Salisbury). By definition, etiolation is the growth of shoots in the absence of light or in very low light, which causes stems and leaves to become elongated and also yellow due to the lack of chlorophyll (McMahon).

Photo 1: ETS (etiolated tiller syndrome) symptoms in a perennial ryegrass fairway.

Etiolated tiller symptoms (ETS) was first coined by Jeff Gregos to describe the widespread epidemic of etiolated and damaged perennial ryegrass in fairways at Lebanon (Pa.) Country Club during 2004 and 2005. At first this condition was a visual nuisance with elongated and chlorotic leaf blades scattered throughout the fairways, but a severe decline in turfgrass quality and disruption in ball roll warranted action.

Photo 2: Etiolated perennial ryegrass leaf blade. (Photos by Mike Fidanza)

Lebanon Country Club Superintendent Dan Brickley had to resort to mowing fairways five to six days per week along with an aggressive plant growth regulator (PGR) program to minimize the appearance of those elongated or etiolated leaf blades, which has become an added expense of employee time and equipment wear and maintenance. ETS has been observed in other areas in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic regions, and recent chatter on a professional Web site indicates the appearance of ETS in many other geographic regions of the country.

ETS has been observed in Northern Europe and Scandanavia, and it's called ghost disease in England. Typically, symptoms first appear during late spring to early summer, not as evident or persistent during the summer, and again more pronounced in late summer to early fall. More information is needed, however, regarding specific environmental conditions that are associated with ETS.

ETS can be expressed in different ways. Frequently, only etiolated leaf blades are visible, particularly the youngest or newly emerged leaf blade, with no other turf damage visible. An advanced stage resembles a "melting-out" turf appearance with a combination of etiolated leaf blades and collapse of surrounding tillers thinning out in patches or at random leading, and thus severe and necrotic turf damage. Low light conditions may not be the only reason for ETS, since symptoms have been observed in both shaded and full-sun areas on fairways, roughs, greens, green collars and approaches and tees.

Etiolated perennial ryegrass leaf blade. (Photo by Mike Fidanza)

In general, ETS has been observed mostly on perennial ryegrass, creeping bentgrass and occasionally on annual bluegrass. ETS has been observed in turf treated with PGRs, and turf not treated with any PGR.

1 2 

• Podcasts
• Online Exclusives
• Industry News
• The Links
• Golfdom Insider
• Turfgrass Trends
• Special Reports
• The Golfdom Report
• Archives