Evidence of Pollinators Foraging on Centipedegrass Inflorescences

Turfgrasses are commonly used for lawns and as recreational surfaces in the USA. Because grasses are largely wind-pollinated, it was thought that pollinators would not forage on turfgrasses. Centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack) is a warm-season turfgrass widely used in the southeastern USA. Centipede grass produces spike-like inflorescences from August to October, and little is known about whether pollinators utilize those inflorescences as pollen resources. Thus, the objective of the current study was to identify the pollinators foraging on centipede grass inflorescences. Pollinator samples were collected by (1) sweeping the insects actively foraging on centipede grass inflorescence for 30 min, (2) deploying pan traps for 24 h and (3) deploying malaise traps for 7 d. In the sweep samples, Lasioglossum spp., Bombus spp., Apis spp., Melissodes spp. and Augochlorella spp. were collected from centipede grass inflorescences. Syrphid flies were also collected in the sweep samples. The pan and malaise traps collected mostly Lasioglossum spp. The results imply that there is a critical need to conserve bee habitats and adopt nondisruptive lawn practices. Additionally, this new knowledge lays the foundation for future research to enhance our understanding of bee and syrphid behavior and the selection of host traits for improving bee foraging.

Evaluation of strips of centipede grass for sediment load reduction

Reddish sediment runoff from agricultural fields results in coastal environmental problems in Okinawa, Japan. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of strips of centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.), a perennial turf grass, in reducing the sediment loads from farmlands. However, sufficient information has not been provided to determine the appropriate strip specifications in the grass strip design. This study evaluated centipede grass strips for reduction of reddish sediment runoff from farmlands in Okinawa, Japan. A numerical model simulating the reddish sediment transport in the grass strip was constructed to determine the sediment removal efficiency of the strip. The model was verified using data obtained from field plot experiments with the grass strips under natural conditions. The sensitivity analysis of the model showed that the length of the grass strip (i.e. the dimension of the strip in the direction of flow) and unit inflow discharge have a great effect on sediment removal efficiency. The sediment removal efficiency obtained from the model simulation increased with the length of the strip and the increment of the efficiency decreased with the length of the strip. Therefore, these results indicate that the effective and efficient length of a centipede grass strip is 3 m for the reduction of reddish sediment loads under typical farmland conditions in Okinawa.