Plant Genetics and Genomics to Improve Drought and Salinity Tolerance for Sustainable Turfgrass Production in the Southern United States.

As an agricultural crop, turfgrass is not food, fiber or animal feed; however, it impacts the lives of millions of people in many different ways including their physical and mental health, and social well-being.  The turfgrass industry has now grown into a multibillion dollar business worldwide.  Turfgrass production acreage as well as performance of installed turfgrasses are impacted when water-use restrictions are imposed by state or local regulatory authorities in an effort to conserve valuable potable water resources.  A Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs) team comprised of turfgrass breeders, extension specialists, plant physiologists, molecular biologists, and agricultural economists from five major universities across the southern U.S. are working with turfgrass industry leaders to develop and use turfgrass cultivars capable of tolerating soil moisture deficit (drought tolerance) and stress created by saline (high salt) soils and/or saline irrigation water (effluent or brackish).  This synergistic approach has facilitated exchange of germplasm of five turfgrass species, evaluation of drought, salinity and shade tolerance, provided supporting information for two cultivar releases, restricted the duplication of research efforts and broaden the network of extension activities.  The project structure and activities have greatly enhanced our capability to capitalize on the genetic diversity for developing environmentally sustainable turfgrasses with wider geographical adaptation and broader regional impacts.  This CAPs project will likely increase the productivity, sustainability, and the economic gain of not only the individual state turfgrass programs, but the overall turfgrass industry.