• Basic Information
• Additional Info

Basic Information

• Project No. and Title: WERA11 : Western Regional Turfgrass Research
• Period Covered: 01/01/2021 to 12/31/2021
• Date of Report: 02/15/2022
• Annual Meeting Dates: 11/06/2021 to 11/06/2021

Participants

In person: Paul Johnson (USU), Kai Umeda (UA), Kelly Kopp (USU), Pawel Orlinski (UCR), Marta Pudzianowska (UCR), Clint Mattox (OSU), Keenan Amundsen (UNB), Nicholas Boerman (USDA), Matteo Serena (UCR), Elena Sevostianova (NMSU), Bernd Leinauer (NMSU) Via Zoom: Vance Owens (NIFA), Navneet Kaur (OSU), Michael Neff (WSU), Des Serba (USDA), Zhiqiang Cheng (UHI), Shui Zhang Fei (IAS), Ricardo Ramirez (USU)

Accomplishments

Impacts

1. Scientists in the WERA-11 group are actively breeding improved types of native and adapted grasses that can reduce irrigation up to 50% due to increased drought tolerance or use lower quality irrigation water which saves high quality water for more sensitive uses.
2. Working with the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program, WERA-11 scientists are evaluating many species of turfgrass for adaptation to the western US and making the data available publicly at no cost to the consumer.
3. WERA-11 scientists are active collaborators with the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance and Alliance for Low Input Sustainable Turfgrass in evaluating different species and experimental varieties of turfgrasses under low input management conditions, assisting in bringing new products to market.
4. WERA-11 scientists are selecting turfgrass varieties and developing alternative pest management strategies to reduce pesticide use and overall management inputs. Actual reductions are being estimated.
5. WERA-11 scientists have developed active collaborations with water providers and entities in their respective states, providing research-based informational documents and support to these entities and their customers/clients.
6. WERA-11 scientists are conducting research on emerging irrigation technologies in cooperation with local water providers and entities as they determine which products to rebate for their customers.

Publications