EVALUATION OF TURF REINFORCEMENT MATS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF BUFFALOGRASS AND ZOYSIAGRASS FROM VEGETATIVE PLUGS

摘要

Turf reinforcement mats (TRM) can reduce erosion and prevent weed encroachment during turfgrass establishment.‘Legacy’ buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides [Nutt.] Engelm.) and ‘Chisholm’ zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) were evaluated in separate field studies for establishment when vegetative plugs were 1) planted in TRM; 2) planted in plots which were subsequently treated with oxadiazon; or 3) untreated.Plugs were established on TRM over plastic prior to transplanting to study areas.‘Chisholm’ zoysiagrass stolons grew under the TRM; as such,use of TRM for this cultivar is not practical.Buffalograss had > 90% coverage when established on TRM in 2010 and > 65% coverage in 2011; coverage was similar to that in oxadiazon-treated plots in each year.Weed levels in plots where TRM (up to 8% weed coverage) were used were generally lower than those where oxadizaon was applied (up to 43% weed coverage); untreated plots (up to 63% weed coverage) generally had higher weed levels than the other treatments.Turf reinforcement mats offer potential for establishment of ‘Legacy’ buffalograss where labor involved in planting individual plugs on site is not available,use of herbicides is not desired,or soil erosion concerns exist.