Drought and heat stresses are major challenges for turfgrass management in the desert southwest of the United States where rainfall is insufficient to support managed turfgrass growth. Irrigation water availability and its quality are increasingly strained due to diminishing surface water supplies. Unprecedented drought conditions threaten the reliance on groundwater supplies that are heavily scrutinized for irrigation practices on landscape and recreational turfgrass. Therefore, development of drought tolerant cultivars, lower input turf management strategies that sustains turfgrass appearance and performance with less irrigation water, and tolerance to higher seasonal temperatures will be critically important. Sustainability of acceptable quality turfgrass can be accomplished through harnessing the natural genetic variation, genetic manipulation using modern genomic technology, and optimizing turfgrass management practices for improved drought tolerance. Besides persistent efforts of varietal development and improved turfgrass management for drought tolerance and performance, redefining the quality of irrigated turfgrass for consumers to align with the environmental conditions is envisioned to foster a sustainable golf, sports fields, and landscape turfgrass industry in the region. A comprehensive study encompassing different turfgrass species and enhancing management practices to achieve acceptable performing turfgrass as well as outreach education to improve public perception of realities for a “green” environment will be critically important. The recent developments in turfgrass science and contemporary communication platforms are instrumental in increasing awareness for a sustainable turfgrass paradigm and sustain eco-tourism of the region.

Water use limitations offers new opportunities for utilization of low-input native grasses and groundcovers for the landscapes of southwest USA. Two field studies were conducted with eleven plant species for two years in Scottsdale and Sun City West, AZ to evaluate rate of emergence, ground surface coverage, plant height, and overall plant quality. In the laboratory, Eragrostis tef at 86% and Eragrostis intermedia at 85% were showing higher percentage of germination compared to other species. Within eight weeks, ten species exhibited an average of 81% emergence at Scottsdale while nine species showed only 58% emergence at Sun City West. Sporobolus cryptandrus grew to greater than 76 cm (30 in) in height while kurapia (Lippia nodiflora) grew to about 5 cm (2 in). The performances of the groundcover kurapia and the native grasses tested demonstrated excellent potential in the low desert southwest U.S., with low rates of water use, applying fertilizer only at planting, and less frequent mowing requirements. Lippia nodiflora, Sporobolus airoides, Bouteloua gracilis, Eragrostis intermedia, and Muhlenbergia asperifolia remained green throughout the year when mowed twice a year. Lippia nodiflora, Hilaria rigida, and Bouteloua gracilis exhibited the highest ground surface coverage and uniformity in growth. Index words: groundcover, landscape, low input, native grasses, plant species. Species used in this study: Blue grama, Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths; bufflograss, Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.; plains lovegrass, Eragrostis intermedia A.S. Hitchc.; teff, Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter; big galleta, Hilaria rigida (Thurb); Kurapia, Lippia nodiflora (L.) Greene; alkali muhly, Muhlenbergia asperifolia (Nees & Meyen ex Trin.) Parodi; alkali sacaton, Sporobolus airoides (Torr.) Torr.; spike dropseed, Sporobolus contractus A.S. Hitchc.; sand dropseed, Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray; and desert zinnia, Zinnia acerosa (DC.) A. Gray.