Full TGIF Record # 27962
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Web URL(s):https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/its/articles/1993jou87.pdf
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Publication Type:
i
Refereed
Author(s):Beard, J. B.
Author Affiliation:Internation Sports Turf Institute, College Station, Texas
Title:The xeriscaping concept: What about turfgrasses
Meeting Info.:7th International Turfgrass Society Research Conference, Palm Beach, FL, USA, 18-24 July, 1993
Source:International Turfgrass Society Research Journal. Vol. 7, 1993, p. 87-98.
Publishing Information:Overland Park, KS: INTERTEC Publishing Corp.
# of Pages:12
Keywords:TIC Keywords: Drought resistance; Evapotranspiration; Irrigation; Public relations; Turfgrass industry trends; Water conservation; Water use legislation; Xeriscaping
Abstract/Contents:"Where are the major grasslands of the world concentrated relative to the areas where trees are dominant? The major grasslands are concentrated primarily in the lower rainfall, semiarid regions, while the forested areas are primarily in the higher rainfall, humid regions. This natural ecological evolution raises serious scientific questions regarding a national promotion to reduce turfgrass areas and replace them with tree plantings under the pretense of achieving water conservation. What is our current science-based knowledge concerning evapotranspiration (ET) rates and drought resistance of the turfgrass and landscape plants used in urban areas? * Very few of many hundreds of trees and shrub species have actually been quantitatively assessed for their ET rates. * In contrast, most turfgrass species and many cultivars have been assessed for their ET rates. * The few comparative ET rate studies published to date show that trees and shrubs have much higher ET rates than turfgrasses, especially when soil moisture is available. * For unirrigated sites, research has been published concerning the comparative drought resistance and dehydration avoidance for many turfgrass species and cultivars. * Detailed comparative investigations of drought resistance among tree and shrub species/cultivars are lacking. Generally the drought resistance recommendations are based on the observed adaptation of species in a non-urban environment. * There are many perennial turfgrasses that cease growth, enter dormancy, and become tan to brown during summer drought stress, that readily recover once rainfall resumes. Many falsely assume turfgrasses must be green throughout the summer. Deciduous trees drop their leaves during drought stress, as well as in the winter period, with only brown bark remaining. Then why would one object to a tan to golden brown turf during droughts, if one chooses not to irrigate? Governments that pass pseudo-science-based laws generated on the emotion promoted by narrow-interest pressure groups without consideration of the available technical knowledge that has a foundation in good science are headed toward failure and needless monetary expenditures. It is the human factor that contributes most to the waste of water through improper irrigation practices and landscape designs, rather than any one group of landscape plant materials."
Language:English
References:75
Note:Reprinted in North Carolina Turfgrass, Vol. 12, No. 2, Summer 1994, pp. 55-56, 58-60.
"Keynote address: Chapter 10"
ASA/CSSA/SSSA Citation (Crop Science-Like - may be incomplete):
Beard, J. B. 1993. The xeriscaping concept: What about turfgrasses. Int. Turfgrass Soc. Res. J. 7:p. 87-98.
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https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/its/articles/1993jou87.pdf
    Last checked: 09/29/2008
    Requires: PDF Reader
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MSU catalog number: SB 433 .I522 v.7
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