Water Conservation & Salinity Management

Water conservation and salinity management research at the University of California, Riverside focuses largely on product testing to further enhance turfgrass water conservation. The turfgrass industry is inundated with commercial products proclaimed to save water or alleviate salinity stress. Our program evaluates a majority of chemical products (e.g., soil surfactants or wetting agents, nutrients, biostimulants, fungicides, and pigments) in non-biased, replicated trials to help turf managers make more informed decisions on product effectiveness. We also conduct research to evaluate turf irrigation equipment (e.g., subsurface drip irrigation) and moisture sensor technology.