Zoysiagrass Use and Culture in Europe

In Europe, the cultivation of warm-season turfgrasses was negligible until the beginning of the 1990s. A scientific approach to their cultivation started with field trials being installed in several locations in Italy in 1994, when adaptation to climatic conditions and first screening of relative performance of cultivars was done to assist turf growers in introducing zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp. Willd.) species and cultivars in the warm temperate regions of Mediterranean Europe. At a later stage, studies on zoysiagrass adaptation were extended to winter dormancy and techniques to extend color retention. Research work has also been performed to explore the application of zoysiagrass for soccer pitches and green roofs. Despite the increasing availability of research-based knowledge regarding the adaptation and cultivation of zoysiagrass, its usage in European countries is still limited.