PETER McMAUGH Not only is Australia a land of droughts, but turf managers are also going to be faced in the future with having to use a water quality for grasses which is far less than potable level
Fit for
purpose ATM expert columnist Peter McMaugh looks at the concept of fit for purpose varieties and the characteristics that
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ome time ago, a landscape architect in Perth made a plea like this for the grasses of the future… “We need grasses which use less water, grow in extreme heat, can tolerate salty water, take heavy wear and repair well and require less mowing than current varieties”. He could have added ‘looks green in winter and doesn’t require lots of fertiliser to grow’! What he was asking of the plant breeder is environmentally responsible and sustainable grasses that are fit for purpose. It is interesting to note that in May, TurfBreed recently invited Dr Dave Kopec from Arizona State University to their annual conference. Dave’s constant theme about breeding is ‘fit for purpose’ grasses. 62
make for exceptional grasses. When you look at the criteria outlined by the landscape architect, the first thing that hits you in the eye is that a lot of what both he and Dave Kopec want to see in their grasses is the ability to thrive and survive on low water inputs. Not only is Australia the land of droughts, but we are also going to be faced in the future with having to use a water quality for our grasses which is far less than potable level. For example, over the next two years two shires around Perth are going to have their water allocations cut by five per cent and, to make matters worse, recycled water is going to be an increasing proportion of what is available to grow grass. It is very important to get recycled water into perspective. Cleaning up water from the waste water stream using current technology
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is an expensive business. So, the output products are generally offered at different grade levels. To go from Grade 2 (grey water) to Grade 1 (potable) is very expensive and why do it for grasses when they can clean it up themselves far more cheaply. There is of course a sting in the tail with recycled water and it is called salt. Perth happens to be built on sands with not too much clay around, so it is almost the perfect place to be able to deal with salt by flushing it through. Where does that salt go? Into the ground water. Perth relies heavily on ancient ground water lenses of fresh water for much of its supply, especially for gardens and lawns. So there is going to be a creep factor in play for increasing salt leaching down into