To help manage brown patch, which cultural practice is recommended?

• A. Increase mowing height
• B. Avoid high nitrogen levels
• C. Water more frequently
• D. Apply high rates of fertilizer

Answer: (B)

Brown patch takes hold best when the turf is lush, warm, and humid, with plenty of readily available nitrogen feeding rapid canopy growth. The strongest cultural move to reduce disease pressure is to avoid high nitrogen levels. Lowering nitrogen slows growth, keeps the canopy thinner, and reduces leaf wetness duration, all of which make the environment less favorable for the Rhizoctonia fungus. In practice, apply modest, well-timed fertilizer (prefer slow-release forms and avoid late-season N surges) and monitor soil fertility to prevent excessive lushness.

The other options tend to worsen or miss the core management point: watering more frequently increases leaf wetness, promoting the disease; applying high rates of fertilizer adds more nitrogen and encourages susceptibility; while increasing mowing height can improve turf vigor and stress resistance, it does not address the disease environment as directly as reducing nitrogen does.