Clouds With No Rain

I've seen a lot of drought-stressed turf in Southeast Asia over the last two weeks. In some areas near Bangkok there has been no rain since October 2009, and with temperatures now sometimes exceeding 40° C (104° F), the rains cannot come soon enough. The drought has damaged roads, causing many to collapse and crack at Patum Thani, severe drought has been declared in 35 provinces of Thailand, and the government has advised rice farmers to defer planting until rains come. Turfgrass managers are restricting irrigation to priority areas because there is very little water remaining in their reservoirs.

The University of California have an excellent publication entitled "Managing Turfgrasses During Drought" which I recommend as a general reference.

Fairy ring symptoms are more apparent under these dry conditions, and that is the main disease I have seen recently. The common practice of sandcapping golf courses in Southeast Asia makes it more difficult to manage the turf when irrigation water is in short supply, and the symptoms of fairy ring are more intense on these arenaceous soils. At the Manila American Cemetery, more than 30 ha of Zoysia matrella is maintained similar to the conditions we would want for a golf course fairway. The fairy ring is most intense on the sole sandcapped area, the entrance Mall of the cemetery.