1. How to Organize and Perform a R.O.W. Program with Partners
Chris Bryan – Roadside Development Manager
Mississippi Department of Transportation
District 6

2. Introduction to Cogongrass
District 6 – May 2002
* Cogongrass already at level that seemed insurmountable.
* No measures being taken to combat this widespread problem.
* Where do we go from here?

3. Starting the Process Cogongrass Awareness
* Meeting in Kiln, MS formed the Mississippi Cogongrass Taskforce.
* Public education and measures to be taken for combating cogongrass.
* Meeting in Waynesboro, MS brought about “Good Neighbor Policy”.
* Creating a plan of action for the MDOT in
District 6.

4. “Good Neighbor Policy”
Implemented mainly by word of mouth.
* Bureau of Plant Industry and NRCS grants.
* Mississippi Coastal Plains RC&D education program.
* Organizations such as MVMA, NRVMA and Southern Weed Science Society.
* Employees of MDOT spreading the word when approached by the public.

5. How the “Good Neighbor Policy” works.
A landowner calls in to a MDOT Office and states that they have cogongrass adjacent to their property.
Meet with the landowner to get the boundaries of their property.
Make the herbicide application on the site.
Keep in contact with the landowner to spray any re-growth.

14. Working with Partners
Partnership formed with MDOT, MSU and DEQ on a seedhead suppression study on Highway 63 in Jackson County.
Applying several herbicides with the intentions of cutting down on the number of windblown seeds.

17. Plateau 12 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

18. Plateau 12 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

19. Glyphosate 16 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

20. Glyphosate 16 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

21. Glyphosate 32 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

22. Glyphosate 32 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

23. Select 16 fl oz/A applied at dormancy ~ 60 DAT

24. Working with Partners continued
Embarked on a partnership to spray an area of interest in four coastal counties.
Parties involved included MDOT, Coastal Plains RC&D, USDA, NWTF, NRCS, U.S. Forest Service and the counties involved.
In the process of erecting signs for public awareness.

25. Herbicide Mixtures for Cogongrass
Mixture for areas with no hardwood trees:
* Glyphosate – 2% V/V
* Imazapyr (2 lbs. A.I.) – 1% V/V
* Non-Ionic Surfactant - .25% V/V

26. Mixtures continued Areas with hardwood trees: * Glyphosate – 2% V/V
* Non-Ionic Surfactant - .25% V/V
Seedhead Suppression:
* Imazapic – 12 fl oz./acre

27. Initial Control Practices
Targeted four lane systems.
Landowners that called in for the “Good Neighbor Policy”
Seedhead Suppression on areas that were highly infested.

28. Current Practices Still targeting four lane systems.
Spraying of areas that have re-growth or was missed on the initial application.
Adapting the “Good Neighbor Policy” to include whole routes when able.
Spraying new construction areas before the start of initial clearing.
Spraying newly established construction areas when cogongrass is detected.

29. Current Practices cont.
Continuing our seedhead suppression program this winter.
Avoiding areas in our mowing cycle with cogongrass in bloom.
Making sure mowers are cleaned before leaving a cogongrass infested area.
Working closely with Coastal Plains RC&D on more areas for partnership.