Bermudagrass turf that is weak or under stress from climatic, agronomic or physical factors is especially vulnerable to Spring dead spot. The disease is known as an ectotrophic root-infecting (ETRI) organism. In the fall, when soil temperatures are sustained between 60° and 80° F at a depth of 2", the pathogen infects susceptible turf. The disease penetrates turf root systems that are damaged or weakened by inserting hyphae through the cell wall. Once the organism has infected the plant, the, limiting the transfer of vital nutrients and water.

Once established inside the plant's root system, the growth of the fungal hyphae causes the plant's vascular tissue to clog disease clogs, preventing the normal flow of water and nutrients. Over the course of the winter when the turf is dormant, there are no symptoms evident and everything appears normal. In the spring, as the weather begins to warm, the infected turf is unable to draw upon reserves of water and nutrients to break dormancy. Affected turf may appear to green up as healthy turf would, but it quickly declines as the plant is starved for energy from the clogged vascular tissue.

Spring dead spots are generally round in shape and can range from 6" to 1'-2' in diameter. In severe cases, the spots will coalesce, leaving large, irregular patches in the turf. The affected turf will appear necrotic and the middle of the patches will be depressed. The infected turf is actually dead as the name suggests and will have to be replaced or encouraged to fill in from the edges. Interestingly, one of the few plants that appear to have a high degree of tolerance to the Spring dead spot pathogen is Poa annua. Often times, Poa annua will be the first plant to reestablish in the patches of dead turf.

Research indicates that this disease may have affected turf as early as the 1930's. D.F. Wadsworth and H.C. Young of Oklahoma State University were two of the first researchers to investigate the pathogen in 1954. According to George M. Kozelnicky, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology & Plant Genetics, University of Georgia, Spring dead spot was present on bermudagrass golf greens as early as 1960. Kozelnicky notes that the first large outbreak was not on the golf course, but in home lawns as a result of a building boom in Atlanta in 1962. By 1965 numerous complaints were generated by homeowners over lawns severely affected by the characteristic dead patches of turf.

Spring dead spot is caused by three species of the Ophioshaerella pathogen (korrae, herpotricha and narmari). The korrae species is the most common on the East and West coast of the United States. Herpotricha species is primarily located in the central United States and narmari is found in Australia, KS, OK and CA.