Subsurface Drip Irrigation for Turfgrass Areas.

The benefits of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on water consumption, irrigation efficiency, and crop yield have been extensively studied in agriculture but only few studies have examined the performance of turf under subsurface irrigation.  Research was conducted at New Mexico State University to investigate quality, establishment from seed and sod, and granular and foliar fertilization effects on turfgrasses that are irrigated from a subsurface drip system with either saline [Electrical Conductivity (EC) ≈ 2.3 dS m^-1] or potable (EC = 0.6 dS m^-1) water. Generally, our establishment results indicate that when using SDI, early or dormant propagation is required to successfully establish warm-season bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.)] or seashore paspalum [Paspalum vaginatum (Sw.)] in one growing season. For salt sensitive cool-season grasses, such as tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea (L.)] and Kentucky bluegrass [Poa pratensis (L.)], our results suggest that SDI can be used in conjunction with potable water to establish turf areas from seed. However, results were inconclusive for combining such an irrigation system with saline irrigation. In a study to investigate and compare the effects of different nitrogen fertilizer types and rates on turf quality and color of bermudagrass and seashore paspalum irrigated from either a pop-up sprinkler system or a SDI system, subsurface irrigated plots were slower to green-up than sprinkler-irrigated ones. Regarding all of the different fertilizers tested, whether granular, foliar, or liquid, all appeared to perform equally well with both irrigation systems. Overall, our research indicates that SDI does not affect turfgrass maintenance procedures, such as establishment from seed or fertilization, differently than sprinkler irrigation.