ESTABLISHMENT OF CROWN VETCH AND BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL ON HIGHWAY SLOPES WITH VARIOUS COMPANION GRASSES AND RATES OF SEEDING

BETWEEN 1947 AND 1954 PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTED WITH VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF GRASSES AND LEGUMES TO PREVENT SOIL EROSION UNTIL THE SLOWLY GROWING, PERMANENT VEGETATION COULD ESTABLISH ITSELF. THE SEEDING AND CULTIVATING TECHNIQUES ARE DESCRIBED. THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS WERE REACHED: (1) PENNGIFT CROWN VETCH WITH RED FESCUE, KENTUCKY 31 FESCUE, AND DOMESTIC RYEGRASS WILL PROVIDE EXCELLENT COVER, WITH CROWN VETCH TAKING OVER AS THE PERMANENT COVER AFTER THE SECOND GROWING SEASON. (2) UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE EXPERIMENT, THE DOMESTIC RYEGRASS AND CROWN VETCH COMBINATION SHOWED THE BEST INDICATION OF A PERMANENT CROWN VETCH COVER. (3) THE VALUE OF CROWN VETCH AS A PERMANENT COVER IS DEMONSTRATED BY ITS ABILITY TO PRODUCE A DENSE COVER AND A DEEP ROOT SYSTEM ON POOR DROUGHTY RAW HIGHWAY SLOPES AND SIMILAR AREAS. THIS IS FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY OVER 100 SUCCESSFUL PLANTINGS MADE BY THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS IN THE SPRING OF 1948. THEY ARE STILL SATISFACTORY AFTER A SIX-YEAR PERIOD WITH NO ADDITIONAL MANAGEMENT SINCE ESTABLISHMENT. (4) NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND WHICH INDICATED THAT MORE THAN THE MINIMUM RATE OF GRASSES (25 LB.) AND CROWN VETCH (20 LB.) ARE NEEDED FOR SUCCESSFUL STRANDS. (5) IT IS APPARENT THAT BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL CANNOT BE RELIED ON AS A PERMANENT PROTECTIVE COVER AND HAS LITTLE VALUE FOR THIS USE ON UNFERTILE DROUGHTY SUBSOILS.

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbroadsidedevcomrpts/1955/1955-009.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 356, pp 55-59, 2 TAB. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Duich, J M
  • Musser, H B
  • Hottenstein, W L
• Publication Date: 1955

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Roadside Development Committee Reports
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Erosion control; Grasses; Legumes
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00205068
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 22 1971 12:00AM