Cynodon dactylon and Zoysia japonica are two important warm-season turfgrass species with multiple utilizations. Genetic transformations of Cynodon dactylon and Zoysia japonica are extremely difficult, which severely restrict the gene functional studies and molecular breeding research of the two grasses. By contrast, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) presents an effective and rapid alternative method to create targeted gene knock-outs for gene functional studies in plants