USGA/NTEP National Water-Use Trial – Warm-Season Species (2018-21, Warm-season Trials $30,000)
As discussed at previous TPI Lawn Institute Research Committee meetings, the United States Golf Association (USGA) budgeted considerable funding to conduct a national water use and drought tolerance trial, utilizing the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) as its evaluation organization. USGA funded the building of rainout shelters and irrigation infrastructure at several locations, and is working with NTEP in determining testing protocols, data collection methods, etc. Besides data collection on water use and drought resistance parameters, the goal of this effort is for the EPA WaterSense® program to adopt these (or similar methods) and to agree to certify the first plant species with the WaterSense label. USGA has become a WaterSense partner, and we have talked to the WaterSense staff about certifying grasses. EPA is very interested in the concept (they have never certified a plant or plants as water saving) as we have met with them to discuss collaborative efforts. However, EPA needs to see more about the methods and tests, as well as we believe,
some successful trials. Also, they will need our help in solving some legal requirements when certifying a product (could be unique for plants, however).
Tirty-two cool-season grasses of Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass, were evaluated from 2017-2020 at ten locations across the U.S. Five locations utilized rain exclusion shelters in the wetter eastern and midwestern U.S., and five locations were established under three replacement ETo
levels in drier western U. S. locations.
Tis data, available on the NTEP website (https://www.
ntep.org/csl.htm) showed some significant water use differences among species, and some entries, with the below adequate quality often seen under the most restricted ETo
replacement levels.
Te warm-season version of this trial was established in summer 2018 at ten trial locations (five rain exclusion shelter, five using ETo
-based deficit irrigation). Tis trial
consists of seventeen entries: eleven bermudagrasses, five zoysiagrasses, and two buffalograsses. Due to the pandemic, some data collection had to be suspended (due to restrictions on access or available labor). One university (Kentucky) even eliminated their turfgrass program during the pandemic, which meant only one year of data was collected from the site.
Te Griffin, Georgia, warm-season site under the rainout shelter. 30 TPI Turf News September/October 2022
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