Evaluation of Intermountain West Native and Adapted Grass Species and Their Management for Turfgrass ApplicationsPaul G. Johnson, Kelly Kopp, Tracy Dougher (Montana State Univ.) 2004- |
Progress report: Supporting pdf file Funding: Community/University Research Initiative, USU; Center for Water Efficient Landscaping |
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We would like to thank the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and USU Extension for their support and participation in Horticultural Research at USU.
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Research in water conservation is conducted through the Center for Water Efficient Landscaping
The ongoing drought in the Intermountain West has brought a great deal of attention to water conservation over the past several years. During that time, landscape irrigation, particularly turfgrass irrigation, has been targeted as a source for large potential water savings. Some communities have even begun to promote the downsizing of turfgrass areas as the best water conservation measures are paying homeowners to do so. In reality, turfgrass controls erosion, reduces evaporation from a site, and provides a safe surface for human activities. One alternative to the eradication of turfgrass areas would be the wider use of low water use grasses in many Intermountain West landscapes. However, many questions regarding the choice of such grasses and their management arise. Which species or combinations of species will work best? What are the actual water requirements of these species? How will the species within mixtures and blends compete over time? Our research consisting of a large-scale line source irrigation experiment, addresses these specific questions. Plots have been established at Utah State University, Logan, UT and Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, with a forthcoming plot at the USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Center in Bridger, MT. The grasses under study include single species and mixed species stands of ‘Cody’ buffalograss, ‘Foothills’ Canada bluegrass, ‘Bad River’ blue grama, ‘Road Crest’ crested wheatgrass, ‘Rosana’ western wheatgrass, ‘Critana’ thickspike wheatgrass, sheep fescue, tall fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, Muttongrass, and Kentucky bluegrass. Line source irrigation will allow the plots to be evaluated at decreasing levels of irrigation as distance from a central sprinkler lines increases. Experimental measurements on the plots include growth response as determined by clipping yield and quality ratings, and competition between grasses and weeds as determined by species composition.