Selection, Installation, and Evaluation of Zoysiagrass

North Carolina Department of Transportation (​NCDOT) currently has to maintain vegetation under and around over 1000 miles of median rail. The Department has used a combination of chemical and mechanical weed control management strategies in the past that have proven to be time consuming and expensive to implement. Zoysiagrasses are known to be a thick sod-producing turfgrass that once adequately established have minimal weed invasion. Unfortunately some of the existing Zoysiagrasses cultivars can be slow to establish unless they are sodded to cover all existing exposed soil. Zoysiagrasses germplasm that can be established quicker using sprigging methods may provide a solution to the establishment and the long-term maintenance. This project will evaluate the establishment and quality characteristics of new germplasm compared to cultivars available commercially. These evaluations will be on NC roadsides in different climatic regions of NC. The outcome of this research will provide NCDOT with information so that they can select the best germplasm for the establishment and long-term maintenance of NC roadsides.

• Record URL:
  https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/planning/Pages/ProjDetails.aspx?ProjectID=2018-02

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $312,922
• Contract Numbers:

  FHWA/NC/2018-02

• Sponsor Organizations:

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  Research and Development
  1549 Mail Service Center
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27699-1549
• Managing Organizations:

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  Research and Development
  1549 Mail Service Center
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27699-1549
• Project Managers:

  Bolyard, Steven

• Performing Organizations:

  North Carolina State University, Raleigh

  Department of Crop Science
  Campus Box 7620
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27695-7620
• Principal Investigators:

  Milla-Lewis, Susana

• Start Date: 20170801
• Expected Completion Date: 20200731
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Grasses; Highway maintenance; Medians; Roadside flora; Vegetation control; Weed control
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01640767
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: FHWA/NC/2018-02
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jul 7 2017 10:47AM