Article by Paul Schattenberg
More than 250 people visited the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 17360 Coit Road in Dallas during the center’s Turf, Landscape and Irrigation Expo held May 16-17.
More than 250 people attended the Turfgrass, Landscape and Irrigation Expo, which had demonstrations, presentations and tours for both professionals and area homeowners. The expo was held May 16-17 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center located at 17360 Coit Road in Dallas. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo)
The first day’s program was targeted to turfgrass industry professionals, while the second day focused on metroplex-area homeowners.
“All of the presentations and activities during this two-day expo were tied to water efficiency and making the most of our urban water resources,” said Clint Wolfe, the center’s urban water programs manager.
Both days included educational presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and tours and explanations of center research related to the expo’s theme of water efficiency in the urban environment. Display booths representing the center and companies or organizations supporting turfgrass, landscaping and irrigation industries were also part of expo activities.
“The sort of research and education done here at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center is of great benefit to the turfgrass industry since this is where many commercial varieties are bred and developed,” said John Cosper, executive director, Turfgrass Producers of Texas, an expo attendee and exhibitor. “And it’s especially important that the center is focusing on developing even more water-efficient varieties like the new DALSA 0605 St. Augustine turfgrass.”
On May 16, about 100 turfgrass industry attendees were introduced to AgriLife turf varieties and how turfgrasses are bred to improve drought tolerance. They were also provided instruction on sprayer and spreader calibration; managing turfgrass diseases, weeds and pests; and on the “tools, gadgets and products” turf managers should have.
They also learned about turfgrass water requirements, irrigation auditing and soil moisture technology, as well as irrigation using subsurface drip and rainwater harvesting. Additional presentations addressed plants that beat the heat and grow better in the shade, identifying landscape irrigation problems, increasing soil water-holding capacity and landscape stormwater management.
The following day, more than 150 area homeowners learned about irrigation system components, irrigation quick fixes, plant selection and landscape design, lawn maintenance and the use of drip irrigation. They too were given an up-close look at the many varieties of turfgrass being field-tested on the center’s grounds and were given the opportunity to ask questions of the various Texas A&M University System experts from the center, College Station and elsewhere.
“This statewide event was designed to highlight new drought-tolerant turfgrass varieties from the Texas A&M AgriLife breeding program, as well as innovations in irrigation technology and new landscape best management practices,” said Dr. Ambika Chandra, Texas A&M AgriLife Research associate professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics at the center. “The event helps industry professionals and homeowners how to select and maintain turfgrasses in order to cope with harsh environmental conditions and water restrictions.”
“Field day attendees were able to see and learn about all five different species of turfgrasses – Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, St. Augustine grass, Seashore paspalum and hybrid bluegrass – being evaluated at the center, along with commercially available varieties,” Chandra said. “In particular, the new water-efficient DALSA 0605 St. Augustine was of interest to both professionals and homeowners.”
Both groups also were given the opportunity to tour the WaterSense labeled home on the center’s grounds, Wolfe said.
A tour of the interior and exterior of the WaterSense labeled home located on the center’s grounds was one of the many water efficiency-themed educational activities offered at the Turfgrass, Landscape and Irrigation Expo held recently at the Dallas center. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo)
“This is the first WaterSense labeled home in North Texas and we are also awaiting an EPA WaterSense designation for the multi-family unit we have built next to it,” he said, “These dwellings include water-saving features both inside and out, including low water use landscaping, drip irrigation and irrigation using a rainwater harvesting system.”
He said other water-saving research and education at the center relates to irrigation system design and management, porous pavements, green roofs, protecting urban streams and reservoirs from erosion and sedimentation, water and nutrient management in urban landscapes, developing more resource-efficient landscapes and the use and management of alternate — reclaimed, recycled, poor quality — irrigation water sources for urban landscapes.
Source:today.agrilife.org