Establishment of Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.) Using Subsurface Capillary Irrigation and Saline Water

A growing scarcity of potable water in the southwestern United States sets limits on its availability for nonessential uses such as turfgrass irrigation.Recently, a new subsurface irrigation technology called KISSS (Kapillary Irrigation Subsurface System), consisting of a geo-textile layer that surrounds the drip line to prevent downward loss of water. The system has been developed to distribute water more evenly throughout the rootzone. Information is lacking as to whether or not establishment of turfgrasses can be achieved when drip irrigation is used in combination with saline water. Research was conducted at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM, during two growing seasons (September 2009 to August 2010 and October 2010 to Summer 2011) to compare establishment rates of Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.) cv. Justice under KISSS or sprinkler irrigation using either potable (500 ppm) or saline (1600 ppm) water. Plots were seeded on September 28, 2009 and on October 28, 2010. Soil samples were collected four times during each establishment period to monitor the salinity build-up in the rootzone. Air and soil temperatures were recorded during the study. Analysis of variance revealed a significant year by irrigation system interaction. KISSS and sprinkler irrigated plots seeded in 2009 required more days to reach 25% ground cover than plots seeded in 2010. Based on our preliminary results soil and air temperature appear to have a greater effect on tall fescue establishment than irrigation system or water quality.