TPT TO FUND WATER USE RESEARCH STUDY
Water Use in Urban Landscapes
Water in Texas is a touchy subject. Everyone agrees that we need to manage our water resources carefully but not everyone can agree on how to manage it. More and more cities are wanting to limit turfgrass and ban some species altogether.
Seldom, if ever, do the proponents of limiting turfgrass have scientific data to justify their positions. Unfortunately, we in the turfgrass industry often do not have the data to show that turfgrass is not the culprit that some would make it.
TPT has decided to fund a study that will provide information to help us make better decisions. Dr. Kurt Steinke and Dr. Richard White of the Soil and Crop Sciences Department at Texas A&M University will conduct the study.
It will measure water use by St. Augustine turf alone, native grass alone, St. Augustine turf with a Sycamore tree and native grass with a Sycamore tree. A set of four replicates will be installed in College Station and a second in San Antonio. The test will allow for the measurement of water inputs and losses.
The project is designed to provide data on comparative water use rates for four simulated landscapes differing in the plant species composition. It will also provide comparative water use rates for each landscape under two different climatic regimes. Drs. Steinke and White anticipate that the relationship between actual water use and potential evapotranspiration across climates will be similar and thus provide the basis for using irrigation coefficients derived at one location for judicious use across a wide geographical area.
The Texas Water Resources Institute is also helping with the project by providing almost $10,000 worth of equipment.