Results of a Questionnaire on the Actual Condition of Levee's Ground Cover Plants

Abstract

Recently, farmers are greatly troubled about the burden of the weeding of levees, and are planting ground cover plants (GCP) tentatively as one means of decreasing the amount of weeding. GCP is expected to control levee weeds and to give a better appearance to agricultural fields, but only a few cases that have succeeded in achieving these aims.
To clear up the problems regarding the spread of GCP to levees, we carried out an investigation of GCP planting areas using a questionnaire, which was delivered to each agricultural extension station. The questionnaire was made up of the following matters.
1) Position of GCP in levee's weeding means
2) Actual maintenance conditions of GCP
3) Expected functions and estimation of GCP
The results showed characteristic inclinations that appear in the early stage of GCP planting, and the expectations for conditional arrangement such as technology developments of planting were high among the answers received. From among these, we have been paid a great deal of attention to lawn grass as basic GCP for levees.