St. Augustinegrass (IMAGE)

Entomological Society of America

St. Augustinegrass

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St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is the most common turfgrass species in the southeastern United States, and it is typically planted with a single cultivar across an entire lawn. But multiple cultivars, or cultivated varieties, of St. Augustinegrass are commercially available. A new study shows that, while no single St. Augustinegrass cultivar rises above the rest in resisting infestation by the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), mixing varieties may confer some benefits, as fall armyworms clearly preferred single-cultivar plantings in a series of lab tests.

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<p>Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons <p><a target="_blank" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Staugustinegrass.JPG">https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Staugustinegrass.JPG</a>

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