Background

The United States has 50 million acres of managed turf, including athletic fields, parks, residential lawns, golf courses, and airfields, which makes turf the 4th largest US crop by acreage. Turfgrasses are used for their aesthetics, cushioning for sports and recreation, prevention of erosion and flooding, improvement of air quality, and climate control. Bermudagrass is a popular warm-season turfgrass that is often overseeded with a winter turf such as ryegrass and is often plagued by the presence of the common weed Poa annua (annual bluegrass). Poa flowers while temperatures are cool, but does not survive in warmer temperatures, leaving patches of dead grass on warm-season turf. Poa has proven difficult to eradicate due to the variability between many prevalent biotypes, its year-round production of seeds that can survive for years in the soil, and its adaptation to thrive at lower mowing heights than most other turf species. Herbicides currently in use for management of Poa annua vary in their effectiveness depending on which biotypes are present, and their use is limited by potential negative effects on the desired turf species.

Technology Overview

Researchers from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at NC State University and the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science at Clemson University have found that an EPA-approved fungicidal compound is an effective and potent herbicide against Poa in warm-season turfgrasses. Compared to herbicides currently on the market to reduce Poa, the compound is more effective, applied at a lower quantity per acre, and requires fewer applications. Importantly, the compound does not affect the growth of ryegrass or bermudagrass.

Benefits

Effective control of Poa annua at lower quantities and fewer applications than currently available herbicides.
Not harmful to ryegrass or bermudagrass.
Compound is already EPA-approved as a fungicide

Herbicide for Turfgrass Management

Patents

IP Status

Seeking