CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/16/05

Grasses used to help stabilize erroding land

By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia

When University of Georgia researchers bred their latest turfgrass varieties, they had home lawns, athletic fields and pastures in mind. Now grasses they bred are also being used to prevent erosion and rebuild land after wildfires and hurricanes.

"When we bred our new tall fescues, we bred them to be suited for Georgia and to be drought tolerant," said Bob Carrow, an agronomist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "Now the seed companies' major business with these grasses is in land reclamation."

Perfect for neglected areas

Carrow said seed companies are marketing tall fescue for planting in harsh environments.

"It's being used to rebuild areas after fires and for highway stabilization to prevent erosion," Carrow said. "Landmark Seed Company is using our tall fescue releases to rebuild the western U.S. after fires and they're using it in China where there are severe erosion problems."

UGA turf breeders discovered the alternative uses for the turfgrass during research trials.

"We found, and the seed companies obviously agree, that these tall fescues are perfect for areas that you don't maintain often," he said. "The Southeast tall fescue variety in particular is perfect for planting along roadsides."

Accounting for half of seed sales

Some turfgrass seed companies are now selling as much as half of their seed for land stabilization and reclamation uses, he said.

Another UGA turfgrass is being promoted for reclamation, too. Seaspray, a seashore paspalum grass, was co-developed by UGA and Turf Seeds of Oregon. The world's first seeded seashore paspalum, Seaspray is available now in limited quantities.

"Seaspray's parent grasses originated along coastlines," said Paul Raymer, a UGA agronomist and one of the grass' breeders. "The new seeded variety should be a natural fit for reclamation projects in coastal areas or were salt is a problem. And its original selling point was that it is very salt tolerant."

Raymer says Turf Seed representatives see the potential for this grass in reclaiming and stabilizing soils in coastal areas.

"Seaspray's perfect for areas where the ground cover has been lost from saltwater storm surges like hurricanes or even the recent catastrophic tsunami," Carrow said.

Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Paul L. Raymer
Bob Carrow
Graduating students take selfie photos during the fireworks display at UGA's 2023 undergraduate Commencement ceremony at Sanford Stadium. By Dorothy Kozlowski CAES News
CAES to celebrate new graduates during May 9 convocation 04/18/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
As another academic year draws to a close, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is gearing up for its Athens campus convocation ceremony, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at The Classic Center in Athens. “Each year, it’s an honor to celebrate the success of our CAES graduates,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place. “It’s amazing what these students accomplish during their time with us, and I’m always excited to commemorate this next step in their lives as they continue on to either further studies or the start of their careers.”
A student harvests red clover at UGArden. CAES News
UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.
2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in 1982 and education specialist degree in 1984 from UGA’s College of Education. CAES News
Innovator, educator inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame 04/11/24 Maria M. Lameiras
An innovator in peanut breeding whose research revitalized an industry and an ardent champion of agricultural education were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 68th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards in Athens. The 2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
UGA wheat breeder and geneticist Mohamed Mergoum smells one of several test brews created by Creature Comforts on its annual Get Comfortable collaboration using a variety of wheat Mergoum developed at CAES. CAES News
Creature Comforts partners with UGA wheat breeder to create 2024 Get Comfortable brew 04/09/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile. These two exacting professions came together this spring when Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. reached out to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to find a sustainable wheat variety they could use to make a good beer for a great cause.