Subsurface‐Applied Tailored Water: Combining Nutrient Benefits with Efficient Turfgrass Irrigation

Abstract

Irrigating turfgrass with treated effluent water has become a common practice in response to shrinking supplies of potable water. Newly developed decentralized water treatment systems produce recycled water containing varying quantities of N on short notice. Using such tailored water to irrigate turf areas would reduce or eliminate the need for additional mineral fertilizers if concentrations of nitrate in the water were raised during the growing season to meet the annual N requirement. On the basis of our estimates, in order for turfgrasses to receive their entire annual N requirements (20 to 25 g N m−2 yr−1) solely from effluent irrigation, nitrogen concentrations in irrigation water would need to range from as low as 11 mg L−1 for arid regions with a 12‐mo growing season to more than 50 mg L−1 in areas with only a 6‐mo growing season. Furthermore, tailored water should be applied with advanced irrigation systems with high distribution uniformity to minimize nitrate leaching. Subsurface irrigation systems distribute water more efficiently and uniformly and minimize human exposure to treated effluent, which would help dispel negative public perceptions regarding the use of effluent to irrigate public turf areas. As the use of treated effluent for turfgrass irrigation continues to increase, the idea of adjustable nutrient content in irrigation water combined with a subsurface irrigation delivery system could become an important means to sustainably maintain much‐needed urban green spaces.

Soil quality assessment of urban green space under long-term reclaimed water irrigation

“…The irrigation water quality (tap water vs reclaimed water) had quite limited impacts (differences were not significant at the 95 % probability level) on the soil nutrient conditions as represented by indicators of TN, SOM, and AP. The TN content in the reclaimed water of Beijing was about 20 mg/L, roughly meeting total annual nitrogen requirements of turf grasses between 10 and 28 mg/L recommended by Sevostianova and Leinauer (2014). Uses of fertilization were rare in urban green spaces.…”

Wastewater reclamation and reuse in China: Opportunities and challenges

“…The concentration of total nitrogen in the secondary effluents is typically 10 to 20 mg/L (Chen et al, 2013a), which meets total annual nitrogen requirements of turf grasses between 10 and 28 mg/L recommended by Sevostianova and Leinauer (2014). In addition, most of the nitrogen and phosphorus in reclaimed water is found in forms that can be easily used by plants (Duncan et al, 2009).…”

Nitrogen fertilization of warm‐season turfgrasses irrigated with saline water from varying irrigation systems. 1. Quality, spring green‐up and fall colour retention

“…Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems on the other hand apply water directly to the root zone, thereby avoiding aforementioned problems (Leinauer & Devitt, 2013). Such systems have been recommended for use on residential lawns (Sevostianova & Leinauer, 2014) and golf courses (Gross, 2012). However, only few studies have examined whether or not it is possible to apply standard establishment and maintenance practices on SDI-irrigated turf.…”