NCERA_temp221: Turfgrass and the Environment
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Draft Project
NCERA_temp221: Turfgrass and the Environment
Duration: 10/01/2026 to 09/30/2031
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
In the United States, managed turf occupies more than 40 million acres of land (Milesi et al., 2005). For perspective,
turfgrass occupies three times more acreage than does irrigated corn. Homeowners and professional turf managers spent
$45 billion on turf in 1993, which was a substantial increase compared to the $4 billion spent in 1974 (Duble, 2001). In the
early 21 century, the economic impacts of the turf industry were estimated to be $74.5 billion, with approximately 45% of
expenditures generated by the golf industry (Haydu et al., 2008). Moreover, the turfgrass seed industry is the 2nd largest
seed industry in the US, and much of the nation’s sod production is incorporated as part of a crop rotation system with food
crops to reduce pest issues. Industry stakeholders indicate a need to identify and address environmental and economic
issues related to turfgrass selection, production, and management, including water and chemical use, greenhouse gas
emissions, and sustainability. As an example, on average, the U.S. golf industry uses over 2 billion gallons of irrigation
water on a daily basis (Throssell et al., 2009). The industry has responded to the need for better water utilization through
research to improve irrigation technology, environmental modeling, plant breeding (Bonos and Huff, 2013), and altered
management practices (Leinauer and Devitt, 2013). Environmental degradation and reduced economic benefit, including
jobs and manufacturing, could occur if environmental issues are not addressed through collaborative research and
outreach. The technical feasibility is great; there are several dozen engaged scientists in the region wanting to collaborate
on environmental issues dealing with turfgrass.
This multistate effort has many advantages in that it can: leverage expertise from multiple institutions to address turfgrass
management challenges, help communicate environmental impacts of turfgrass systems across state boundaries, hasten
the formation of multi-institutional teams that can collaborate on grant proposals to federal funding agencies, allow for
regular sharing of new knowledge to benefit graduate and undergraduate students, provide opportunities for mentoring
new faculty, and coordinate outreach and Extension to help reach diverse audiences throughout the north central region.
This project does not overlap other multistate groups since it is focused specifically on sustainable turfgrass management
systems for the north central United States.; currently, collaborations by NCERA-221 participants exist with NE1602:
Explorations in the Turfgrass Phytobiome: Understanding Microbial Associations and Developing Tools for Management
since understanding microbial diversity in turfgrass systems may be an important path to more sustainable turfgrass
systems (Chou et al., 2020).
The project will evaluate turfgrass species/cultivars, integrated pest management practices that reduce our reliance on
synthetic pesticides, new sensor technologies to provide an early and precise identification of turf disorders such as
drought, and holistic systems to meet the goal of sustainable management using reduced or alternative management
requirements. These studies will assess the effect of reduced water, nutrients, mowing and pesticide inputs. Anticipated
impacts will include improved turfgrass performance combined with sustainable management practices that reduce labor,
water, and chemical inputs. Additionally, regulatory efforts that are aimed to preserve and protect the environment may be
strengthened.
Objectives
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Provide national leadership in the area of sustainable turfgrass systems for transition zone and temperate climates, including collaborative research in turf management, plant physiology, plant pathology, entomology, cultivar selection, breeding and genetics, weed science, and ecosystem services.
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Develop and deliver innovative outreach and educational programming to various stakeholder groups including turfgrass management professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, public agencies, scientists, and the general public.