I had a call recently about purpling on ryegrass cover whether it was nutrient deficient or if there was any disease by chance. I went to this field and made some observations as well as take leaf samples back to prepare slides for microscopic viewing to see if there may be any disease. I did not find any disease from my sample, but came to the conclusion that it was nutrient deficient.
When I walked the field, the symptoms I seen were widespread throughout the field and the purpling effect on the leaves were an indicator that there was a cold damage response to stressed plants. This effect is in pretty straight lines throughout the field. There was also some bleaching on the tips of leaves which is an indicator of cold damage as well.
I sent photos to Dr. Alfredo Martinez (UGA Small Grain Disease Specialist) and he agreed to what i was seeing and the conclusion of cold damage.
Plants should recover, and a way to correct this is to go back and topdress fertilizer and sunshine is much needed.
