Turfgrass industry issues, opportunities, and needs within Texas are often large-scale and very diverse. The Texas A&M University System has a strong commitment to research that focuses on environmental issues and natural resource conservation and turfgrass is no different. Turfgrass research efforts strive to integrate urban landscape systems to enhance quality of life, develop improved technologies for the management of weeds, diseases, and insects and to develop turfgrass systems that reduce the impacts of environmental pollutants and conserve natural resources. These research priorities are addressed through strong interdisciplinary cooperation among various disciplines including agronomy, plant breeding and genetics, plant physiology, entomology, pathology, weed science, soil science, plant nutrition, and water quality.
Faculty and staff in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences help turfgrass managers, landscapers, sod producers, and the general public solve turfgrass related problems through a vast network of research, extension, and teaching programs. Turfgrass faculty utilize more than 30 acres of research space at Texas A&M University facilities in College Station (Figure 1) and Dallas (Figure 2) as well as performing on-site turfgrass research at various locations throughout Texas (Figure 3). These sites often include golf courses, landscapes, roadsides and other locations that allow researchers to answer questions specific to the many diverse regions of the great state of Texas. Results of past, current, and ongoing research are disseminated to the citizens of Texas through extensive outreach and educational programs, as well assistance through statewide and county extension activities.
Turfgrass research and extension activities are often funded through various sources including national and state granting agencies, national and state turfgrass organizations, private industry, and endowments.
Turfgrass Research, Education, and Extension Endowment (TTREEE)
The TTREEE was established to provide financial support for turfgrass programs that benefit and enhance the Texas turfgrass industry. From 2003 through 2020, TTREEE has funded a total of $680,133 of research at various turfgrass research institutions in Texas, including $72,000 in undergraduate scholarships. These funds are distributed to help address priority areas in turfgrass teaching, research, and extension programs at Texas A&M University and impact the Texas turfgrass industry by providing better graduates, providing extension outreach education programs for turfgrass professionals, and assisting in the development of information through research to solve turfgrass related problems.
