The disease first appears as irregularly shaped chlorotic patches ranging from a few inches to several feet in diameter. The yellow to brown discoloration begins on the older foliage and progresses to the growing tips. These thin or bare areas are easy targets for algae or weak invasion. New tillers growing into these areas soon become infected and begin to decline.
Symptoms are more apparent on closely mowed turf.
Disease outbreaks are more common during the late summer or early fall when temperatures are between 70 and 80 F with high humidity and rainfall. Bermudagrass decline is a root disease, thus making the turf stressed for water and nutrients. Infected roots rot quickly becoming short and brown to black in appearance. These symptoms may be similar to other diseases such as Pythium blight. The soil-borne fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis is the causal agent for Bermudagrass decline.