Description
Growing human populations and increasing drought conditions compete with ornamental grassland landscapes for freshwater resources. With outdoor use as the largest consumer of municipal water, irrigation restrictions will likely be increasingly implemented, restricting ornamental municipal grasslands. Substituting irrigation-dependent exotic grasses with drought-adapted native bunchgrasses could help mitigate this problem. Greenhouse (GH) trials revealed exotic ornamental bunchgrasses declined faster than natives under progressive water stress, with natives performing best under moderate water with maximum water treatments decreasing aesthetic quality. There was wide variability among accessions, indicating promising genetic diversity from which to select drought resistance for ornamentals. Native grasses performed best in field trials with supplemental irrigation during warm-season growth and restricted irrigation during the cool season. In northcentral Texas, native little bluestem (LBS; Schizachyrium scoparium L.) accessions outperformed exotics in health and aesthetics across environments. Most response variables were species as well as accession dependent. Select LBS accessions are recommended for commercialization for municipal grasslands due to superior field performance under water restrictions. Replacing favored water-intensive exotic grasses with adapted native grasses could help reduce irrigation water use.
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Native Texas Ornamental Bunchgrass Performance Under Water Restrictions
Growing human populations and increasing drought conditions compete with ornamental grassland landscapes for freshwater resources. With outdoor use as the largest consumer of municipal water, irrigation restrictions will likely be increasingly implemented, restricting ornamental municipal grasslands. Substituting irrigation-dependent exotic grasses with drought-adapted native bunchgrasses could help mitigate this problem. Greenhouse (GH) trials revealed exotic ornamental bunchgrasses declined faster than natives under progressive water stress, with natives performing best under moderate water with maximum water treatments decreasing aesthetic quality. There was wide variability among accessions, indicating promising genetic diversity from which to select drought resistance for ornamentals. Native grasses performed best in field trials with supplemental irrigation during warm-season growth and restricted irrigation during the cool season. In northcentral Texas, native little bluestem (LBS; Schizachyrium scoparium L.) accessions outperformed exotics in health and aesthetics across environments. Most response variables were species as well as accession dependent. Select LBS accessions are recommended for commercialization for municipal grasslands due to superior field performance under water restrictions. Replacing favored water-intensive exotic grasses with adapted native grasses could help reduce irrigation water use.
