AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AJWEP026040016
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REVIEW ARTICLE

Moss control and prevention in terrestrial ecosystems: A review of chemical, biological, physical, and ecological management strategies

Qing Zhang1,2 ,  Jiao Yang1* ,  Yuxi Yan1*
AJWEP, 026040016 https://doi.org/10.36922/AJWEP026040016
Received: 23 January 2026 | Revised: 27 February 2026 | Accepted: 4 March 2026 | Published online: 24 April 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

As a key component of terrestrial ecosystems, moss plays a significant role in soil and water conservation and in the regulation of the carbon cycle. However, in certain scenarios, such as container seedling cultivation, golf courses, and ecologically sensitive areas, its overgrowth can interfere with the growth of target plants, thereby disrupting ecological balance and affecting landscape functions. Additionally, moss growth in some areas influenced by human activity can make roads slippery, posing a safety hazard to pedestrians. Therefore, the suppression and prevention of moss have become a research hotspot in related fields. At present, a systematic review of governance strategies is needed for moss management. This review systematically summarizes the mechanisms, application scenarios, and research progress of moss control and prevention from four dimensions—chemical inhibition, biological control, physical regulation, and ecological management—based on the biological properties of moss, especially considering that mosses have evolved strong adaptability to diverse regional natural and climatic conditions, which necessitates region-specific control strategies, so as to provide guidance for the scientific management of moss.

Keywords
Moss control
Moss prevention
Chemical inhibition
Biological control
Physical control
Ecological management
Funding
This work was financially supported by the Zhengzhou University Qiushi Scientific Research Startup Fund (No. 35220036), the Key Research and Promotion Project of Henan Province (Grant No. 252102320109, 252102320122), and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province (Grant No. 252300423281).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing
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