Improved Methodologies for the Inoculation of Prairie Legumes in Roadside/Revegetation Settings (Technical Summary)

Agricultural development over much of the 400 million acres of prairie grassland in the Great Plains has resulted in significant declines in tallgrass (99.9 percent decline), mixed grass (61 percent) and shortgrass (85.5 percent). Prairie restoration offers substantial environmental benefits, and planting low-maintenance prairie grassland is an important part of Mn/DOT’s strategy to control roadside erosion. If the native prairie areas can become self-sustaining, Minnesota’s roadsides can be both attractive and less expensive to maintain. However, prairie restoration can be a slow, multiyear process.