diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/bam2wig_Makefile.patch b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/bam2wig_Makefile.patch
index bbd5bfeef68..45dce94cc35 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/bam2wig_Makefile.patch
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/bam2wig_Makefile.patch
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 -	HTSERRHINT:=$(HTSERRHINT)"Check if HTSlib is installed and of version 1.10 or higher - see README.txt"
 -endif
 +INCLUDES=-I$(HTSLIBDIR)/include/htslib
-+HTSLIBS=-L$(HTSLIBDIR)/lib -Wl,-rpath,$(HTSLIBDIR)/lib -lhts -lcurses -lm -lz -lpthread -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lbz2 -llzma
++HTSLIBS=-L$(HTSLIBDIR)/lib -Wl,-rpath,$(HTSLIBDIR)/lib -lhts -lncurses -lm -lz -lpthread -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lbz2 -llzma
  
  CFLAGS:=-Wall -O2 $(CFLAGS)
  CC?=gcc
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/package.py
index c5bcd71f18f..b158c5b346f 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/augustus/package.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ class Augustus(MakefilePackage):
     depends_on('htslib')
     depends_on('bcftools')
     depends_on('samtools')
+    depends_on('ncurses')
     depends_on('curl', when='@3.3.1:')
     depends_on('sqlite', when='@3.4.0:')
     depends_on('mysql-client', when='@3.4.0:')