It causes downy mildew on a vast number of cereal crops including oats, rice, maize, and wheat as well as varieties of turf grass.

[citation needed] Sclerophthora macrospora has a wide host range,[1] consisting of crops such as turf grass, maize, oats, rice, and wheat.

The pathogen's lack of host specificity allows for widespread prevalence of the disease, and it affects a multitude of economically essential crops.

[5] Since Sclerophthora macrospora can infect a wide range of hosts, many growers will have to find a way to manage the pathogen.

[6] Preventive fungicides applied under certain guidelines can reduce the amount of the pathogen's structures in the field - but the success is limited.

Spring applications of the fungicide metalaxyl, known under the trade name Subdue,[7] can be effective especially for yellow tuft disease.