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

Desalegn D. Serba (), Reagan W. Hejl, Worku Burayu, Kai Umeda, Bradley Shaun Bushman and Clinton F. Williams
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Desalegn D. Serba: USDA-ARS, U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, AZ 85138, USA
Reagan W. Hejl: USDA-ARS, U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, AZ 85138, USA
Worku Burayu: School of Agriculture, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, VI 00850, USA
Kai Umeda: Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, The University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ 85138, USA
Bradley Shaun Bushman: USDA-ARS, Forage and Range Research Unit, Logan, UT 84321, USA
Clinton F. Williams: USDA-ARS, U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, AZ 85138, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-17

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.

Keywords: drought tolerance; turf quality; water quality; osmoprotectants; irrigation scheduling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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