Innovations in Turfgrass Management for Enhanced Sustainability and Conservation

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Grassland and Pasture Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 597

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Interests: turfgrass management; forage crops
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Guest Editor
Environmental Horticulture Department, University of Florida, 1541 Fifield Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: turfgrass management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Interests: grassland management; meadows; pastures; turfgrasses; forage crops
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The management of turfgrass is undergoing significant changes aimed at increasing environmental sustainability. To assess turfgrass sustainability, we must consider its diverse roles across different types, including its uses in sports, ornamentation, and recreational spaces. Each category presents unique demands and environmental impacts, necessitating a comprehensive approach. The management of turfgrass must also address the challenges posed by climate change, necessitating a shift in cultural practices from those traditionally used.

Researchers are encouraged to respond to the growing need to limit turfgrass's environmental impact.  The upcoming advancements will mainly involve water conservation, precision agriculture, organic fertilizers, integrated pest management, biological weed control, and promoting biodiversity in turf ecosystems.

This Special Issue will provide an overview of the most relevant applied turfgrass studies, which focus on developing and spreading sustainable practices for maintaining healthy and attractive turfgrass while minimizing environmental damage.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Grasses.

Dr. Stefano Macolino
Dr. Jason Kruse
Dr. Cristina Pornaro
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • turfgrass
  • forage crop
  • water conservation
  • management
  • integrated pest management
  • environmental stress

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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10 pages, 1115 KiB  
Brief Report
Canopy Performance and Root System Structure of New Genotypes of Zoysia spp. During Establishment Under Mediterranean Climate
by Diego Gómez de Barreda, Antonio Lidón, Óscar Alcantara, Cristina Pornaro and Stefano Macolino
Agronomy 2025, 15(7), 1617; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15071617 - 2 Jul 2025
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Abstract
In a hypothetical climate change scenario, zoysiagrass species could be a good choice for turfgrass areas due to their adaptation to heat conditions and the great variability in species and cultivars. Knowledge of the root system’s characteristics is paramount for predicting cultivar adaptation [...] Read more.
In a hypothetical climate change scenario, zoysiagrass species could be a good choice for turfgrass areas due to their adaptation to heat conditions and the great variability in species and cultivars. Knowledge of the root system’s characteristics is paramount for predicting cultivar adaptation to different heat–drought scenarios and therefore for designing proper turfgrass management programs, especially irrigation. A field experiment was conducted in the Mediterranean environment of Valencia (Spain) to study the root weight density (RWD), root length density (RLD), and average root diameter (RDI) at three different soil depths (0–5, 5–15, and 15–30 cm) of five new zoysiagrass genotypes (Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. cultivars, Zoysia japonica Steud., and their hybrid), relating these parameters to the performance of these cultivars during their establishment. All the tested cultivars had a higher RWD and RLD in the upper soil layer (0–5 cm), while the RDI was higher in the lowest layer of the sampled soil profile (0.269 mm compared with 0.249 mm and 0.241 mm in the upper layers). All the tested cultivars showed the same RWD and RLD, while the Zoysia matrella cultivar ZG18003 showed a higher RDI value (0.2683 mm) than those for the Z. japonica cultivar (0.2369 mm) and the hybrid (0.2394 mm). This last finding could have influenced its more rapid establishment, although it was not linked to its NDVI values during autumn. In conclusion, different morphological root characteristics were detected among new zoysiagrass genotypes and soil depths, which could have affected their canopy performance, and they are expected to affect irrigation management in a possible future drought scenario. Full article
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