Pertinent Water-Saving Management Strategies for Sustainable Turfgrass in the Desert U.S. Southwest

Abstract

Drought and heat stresses are major challenges for turfgrass management in the desert southwest of the United States where rainfall is insufficient to support managed turfgrass growth. Irrigation water availability and its quality are increasingly strained due to diminishing surface water supplies. Unprecedented drought conditions threaten the reliance on groundwater supplies that are heavily scrutinized for irrigation practices on landscape and recreational turfgrass. Therefore, development of drought tolerant cultivars, lower input turf management strategies that sustains turfgrass appearance and performance with less irrigation water, and tolerance to higher seasonal temperatures will be critically important. Sustainability of acceptable quality turfgrass can be accomplished through harnessing the natural genetic variation, genetic manipulation using modern genomic technology, and optimizing turfgrass management practices for improved drought tolerance. Besides persistent efforts of varietal development and improved turfgrass management for drought tolerance and performance, redefining the quality of irrigated turfgrass for consumers to align with the environmental conditions is envisioned to foster a sustainable golf, sports fields, and landscape turfgrass industry in the region. A comprehensive study encompassing different turfgrass species and enhancing management practices to achieve acceptable performing turfgrass as well as outreach education to improve public perception of realities for a “green” environment will be critically important. The recent developments in turfgrass science and contemporary communication platforms are instrumental in increasing awareness for a sustainable turfgrass paradigm and sustain eco-tourism of the region.

Hybrid Bermudagrass Responses to Impaired Water Sources

“…Many chemical factors of irrigation water influence plant growth directly or indirectly, such as elevated salinity, pH, sodium, bicarbonate, and plant essential nutrients (Chang et al 2020;Harivandi 2004;Porter and Marek 2006;Schiavon et al 2015;Serba et al 2022). Salinity is normally expressed as a measurement of electrical conductivity (EC), which is proportional to the concentration of dissolved ions in water or soil.…”

“…In the US Southwest and Southeast, where climate is characterized as either hot, dry, or both, bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is an extensively used turfgrass species, resulting, in part, from its hardiness under hot-dry climatic conditions and improved salinity tolerance (Carrow 1996;Marcum and Pessarakli 2006;Serba et al 2022). Overall, the average evapotranspiration (ET) rate for bermudagrass is 5.51 mmÁd -1 (Colmer and Barton 2017); however, this value can fluctuate depending on environmental evaporative demand, management practice, soil water availability, and, potentially, chemical properties of irrigation sources (Hejl et al 2015;Huang and Fry 1999;Romero and Dukes 2016).…”

Consumers’ WTP for Sustainability Turfgrass Attributes with Consideration of Aesthetic Attributes and Water Conservation Policies

“…Developing sustainable turfgrass varieties has been a major research interest for many university and industry breeders [28,29]. Sustainable turfgrasses have been developed to maintain the appearance and functional aspects of grasses, while minimizing the management cost and enhancing environmental preservation [13,14]. Low-input grasses have been demanded by homeowners because of prolonged droughts in many parts of the world and potential negative environmental externalities caused by the overuse of chemical inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides and weather variability [11].…”

“…This study estimates consumers' WTP for low-input and stress-tolerance attributes of warm-season turfgrasses, while considering the potential negative effect of enhancing these attributes on the aesthetics of grasses. Our study focuses on evaluating consumer preferences for sustainability (low-input, stress-tolerance) attributes because earlier studies (e.g., [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]) consistently found that turfgrass consumers highly value these attributes and also suggest that it is important to develop turfgrass varieties that require fewer resources, while maintaining visual appeal and functionality (e.g., [13,14]).…”

Biostimulants in the Production of Forage Grasses and Turfgrasses

“…Optimal N fertilisation decreases oxidative stress by maintaining osmoprotectants, stimulating antioxidant enzymes and sustaining metabolic activity at reduced tissue water potential, which increases resistance to drought. The availability and quality of irrigation water will decrease due to diminishing supply of surface water around the world [121]. Without additional irrigation, adequate water retention in soil will pose a growing problem in the production of turfgrasses [107].…”