UTILIZING PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS TO DEVELOP A COST EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR ROADSIDE VEGETATION

The cost of mechanical mowing of highway roadsides is very expensive. Some areas are very difficult or even impossible to mow because of slope, structures, sign posts and delineaters. Chemical Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) have been sought to reduce mowing requirements for more than 30 years. Limit, Telar, Eptam, Cutless, Embark, MBR-18337 and PP-333 were evaluated at different rates and in different combinations on mixed and monostands of coarse and fine textured roadside grass sppcies. The period of application for effective seedhead suppression was approximately: 27 Apr to 10 May for Embark and 27 Apr to 25 May for Limit in 1982; and for both Embark and Limit, 22 Apr to 15 May in 1983 and 20 Apr to 17 May in 1984. Significant differences in vegetative and seedhead suppression were found among compounds and among dates of applications. Synergistic effects were observed where Embark and Telar were applied in combination. Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinaceae) was severely injured by Telar and Telar-Embark combinations. Cutless and PP-333 reduced seedhead height but did not reduce relative seedhead density. (Author) reduce relative seedhead density. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Michigan State University, East Lansing

  Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
  East Lansing, MI  United States  48824

  Michigan Department of Transportation

  State Transportation Building, 425 West Ottawa Street, P.O. Box 30050
  Lansing, MI  United States  48909

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • McElroy, M T
  • Rieke, P E
  • McBurney, S L
• Publication Date: 1984-1

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 169 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Grasses; Landscape maintenance; Retarders (Chemistry); Roadside; Urban growth; Vegetation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00451668
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-MI-RD-85-02
• Contract Numbers: 0010 (7)
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 27 2004 9:12PM