Turfgrass Adaptation and Management

Turfgrass systems — the managed grass surfaces of lawns, athletic fields, and golf courses — sit at the intersection of plant physiology and environmental chemistry, where decisions about fertilization, irrigation, and cultivar selection ripple outward into soil nutrient cycles and nearby water bodies. Researchers in this area examine how nitrogen moves through turfgrass root zones, how much leaches into groundwater or runs off into streams, and how soil temperature and drought stress alter the metabolic processes that govern those fluxes. A central challenge is reconciling the agronomic demand for dense, resilient turf with the imperative to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loading on aquatic ecosystems, especially as climate shifts push grasses toward heat and water stress more frequently. Active work is also probing whether large managed green spaces like golf courses can be designed to support biodiversity and carbon storage alongside their traditional functions.

Works

32,834

Total citations

229,414

Keywords

TurfgrassBiogeochemical CyclingNitrogen LeachingDrought ResistanceSoil TemperaturesFertilizer Management