Water-efficient turfgrasses are increasingly important for southern landscapes as water resources are dwindling due to drought, extreme temperatures and other environmental factors.
Natural water-use statistics show about one-third of all water consumed by cities in the southern U.S. is used for irrigating lawns and gardens.
A new drought-tolerant St. Augustine grass variety that also resists major disease and insect pests that commonly attack lawns in southern landscapes was recently released by Dr. Ambika Chandra, according to AgriLife Today.
Currently identified by its experimental name, DALSA 0605, the new variety was collaboratively developed by Texas A&M University and the University of Florida. It is expected to be commercially available in 2015.
DALSA 0605 and other turfgrass varieties will be on display during the upcoming Turfgrass, Landscape and Irrigation Expo May 16-17 in Dallas. For more information on the expo, visit http://dallas.tamu.edu/courses.