The role of silicon in suppressing gray leaf spot development in St. Augustinegrass

If you maintain St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) in Florida, its possible that gray leaf spot, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea (Pyricularia grisea), will be a problem in your lawn or sod field. Research has proven the effectiveness of amendments of silicon (Si) to soils that are deficient in soluble Si (<25 mg/L) for control of diseases on a number of hosts including rice and sugarcane, which are regularly fertilized with Si in south Florida. This document is PP-67, one of a series of the Plant Pathology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: July, 2003. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp114