White leaf

White leaf strikes in Southern California. The symptoms below were recently observed by Michael Wolpoff, Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo.

White leaf, a disease or condition where patches of turf foliage seems to suddenly turn white, has been observed on poa, bent, bermuda, kikuyu and paspalum. It has been most frequently observed on poa and bermudagrass, however.

Very little is known about the disease, although a type of microbe known as a phytoplasma has long been thought to…