Graduate Student Aims to Help Homeowners Go Green, Keep Green and Save Green

Doug Karcher

As part of the weekly irrigation treatments, bermuda grass plots are independently irrigated as scheduled or scheduled irrigation is bypassed depending on either recent rainfall or real-time volumetric soil moisture.

While many homeowners enjoy having a green lawn, they don't always enjoy the water bill that comes with it. Daniel Sandor, a plant sciences doctoral student, is working on a solution to allow homeowners to keep more money in their pockets while keeping their grass green.

Sandor has been conducting studies on how adding rain sensors or soil moisture sensors to existing automated irrigation systems can impact water conservation. Rain sensors trigger the irrigation system to bypass a scheduled irrigation event during or following recent rainfall. Soil moisture sensors provide a real-time estimate of soil moisture levels and trigger the irrigation system to bypass a scheduled irrigation event when the soil moisture level is above a sufficient moisture threshold.

Sandor, who is advised by Doug Karcher, found using rain sensors reduced water use by 21 percent in a 17-week trial period, where an average Fayetteville lawn would potentially result in a $75 return on investment. The soil moisture sensors produced even greater savings, reducing water use by 65 percent and yielding a potential $175 return on investment during the trial period for an average Fayetteville lawn.

Additionally, Sandor conducted digital image analysis throughout the trial period and observed the aesthetics of the bermudagrass was not compromised when bypassing scheduled irrigation using the rain or soil moisture sensors.

"The exciting thing about the effectiveness of these sensors is the threefold accomplishment we're seeing," Sandor said. "We're going green by saving water, keeping green by not compromising the aesthetics of the turf grass and saving green by saving money."

One of the challenges Sandor and others in his field face is that turfgrass is often scrutinized for being a water-wasting or non-essential part of the landscape, particularly in areas of drought. As a result, some people opt to replace turfgrass lawns with rock gardens, xeriscapes, hardscapes or prairie grasses. However, Sandor said those alternative landscapes have significant drawbacks, lacking some of the advantages turfgrass offers.

"Turfgrass provides a multitude of functional, aesthetic and recreational benefits," he said. "It provides dust stabilization, controls air pollution, reduces soil erosion, reduces utility costs, improves property values and also provides a safe, soft area for kids and pets to play."

Though the results of Sandor's study have been encouraging, he is careful to remind homeowners there is not one silver bullet solution to water conservation.

"Lawn management takes an all-encompassing and holistic approach," he said. "Turfgrass management is very site specific. What works for one homeowner may not work for another, so it's up to us as researchers and scientists to educate homeowners on best management practices for the turf, soil and site conditions they have."

Sandor, who won the Three Minute Thesis competition for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, will compete in the university-wide Three Minute Thesis final at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Plant Sciences 009. The event serves as the capstone to the university's Graduate Education Week.