Eco-Turf: Water and nutrient use efficient turfgrasses from Australian biodiversity.

澳大利亚的家庭用水量比经合组织的平均水平高出约30%。大约三分之一的家庭用水用于花园，包括草坪。草坪草是化肥的重要使用者，这可能导致径流和渗入地下水位的问题。我们将利用澳大利亚沙发草的独特多样性，为家庭、运动场和休闲草坪确定新的草皮。该项目将开发工具，以选择在减少水和养分投入的情况下保持质量的草坪草，从而全面减少资源使用和下游生态影响。该项目的好处扩展到澳大利亚的城市和农村社区。

Domestic water consumption in Australia is approximately 30% higher than the OECD average. Approximately one third of domestic water consumption is applied to the garden, including turfgrass lawns. Turfgrasses are significant users of fertilisers, which can lead to problems with runoff and infiltration into the water table. We will use the unique diversity of Australian couch grasses to identify new turfs for domestic, sportsground and amenity lawns. This project will develop tools to select turfgrasses that maintain quality with reduced inputs of water and nutrients, leading to an overall reduction in resource use and downstream ecological effects. Benefits of this project extend to urban and rural communities Australia-wide.