North Carolina State University’s Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics program, under the direction of Susana Milla-Lewis, has released Lobo Zoysiagrass (experimental name XZ 14069).
Researchers selected Lobo from hundreds of nursery mates for its unusual combination of aggressive establishment and stress tolerance. These traits were later confirmed by six years of multi-location trials under low-input conditions.
Sod Solutions
Lobo Zoysia will be exclusively licensed through Sod Solutions for commercial production and marketing. This release is NC State’s first warm-season turfgrass cultivar from Milla-Lewis’s breeding program that started in 2009.
Zoysiagrasses are warm-season, perennial turfgrasses often used in home lawns, commercial landscapes and golf courses across the southern U.S. They are generally known for their low maintenance requirements but slow establishment.
Lobo is unique because it is fast to establish, drought-tolerant, and maintains good color and quality under very low inputs.
“This medium-fine zoysiagrass cultivar is simultaneously well adapted for infrequently managed areas like golf course roughs, roadsides, and airport in-fields but also for higher-end uses like home lawns, commercial landscapes and golf course fairways where aesthetics are equally important as maintenance. It’s truly a unicorn,” Milla-Lewis says.
NC State
Lobo Zoysia has been a consistent top performer in roadside trials by the NC Department of Transportation and also a National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) specialty trial. These Professional Golf Association (PGA) funded NTEP trials are conducted at eight sites from Florida to New Mexico. The trials are highly competitive and include other warm-season grass species like bermudagrass and buffalograss, known for their superior drought tolerance. Lobo repeatedly received top performance marks at these climatically diverse locations.
“Zoysiagrass is frequently grown in the southeastern U.S. but minimally in the West. This line shows the broader possibility of zoysiagrass use, especially in areas with significant drought stress or water restrictions,” Milla-Lewis said.
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