Bermudagrasses, Cynodon spp., used in recreational turf, have a relatively open habit of growth, and are prone to invasion by grassy weeds (annual bluegrass, Poa annua L.; crabgrasses, e.g., large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.; smooth crabgrass, D. ischaemum (Schreb. ex Schweig.) Schreb. ex Muhl..; goosegrass, Eleusine indica L.; and sedges, Cyperus spp., green watersedge, Kyllinga brevifolia, and white watersedge, K. nemoralis). Because of their more open habit of growth, seeded cultivars of bermudagrass are even more susceptible to weed invasion. Traffic by golf carts on golf course fairways and by ball players on athletic fields causes compaction, which favors the adaptation of goosegrass, the number-one ranked weed problem on Florida golf courses (Anonymous, 1996). Based on a survey of Florida golf course superintendents (sample size n=43), high intensity problem weeds, in order of importance, were: goosegrass (60%), crabgrass (42%), annual bluegrass (19%), pennywort=dollarweed, Hydrocotyle umbellata L. (5%), and spurges, Chamaesyce spp. (5%). Nematodes are associated with infestations of spurges (see Busey et al., 1982 in reference to zoysiagrasses).

References

Anonymous. 1996. 1996 golf course superintendents report. Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Lawrence, KS.

Busey, P.  1986. Bermudagrass germplasm adaptation to natural pest infestation and suboptimal nitrogen fertilization.  J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 111:630-634.