Environmental Quality Research
Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center

The urban areas of South Florida are vulnerable to environmental problems, and are the potential cause of environmental problems, because of shallow, well-drained soils, and shallow surficial aquifer, or water table.  Plant protection products, i.e., pesticides and nutrients, are more liable to leach into the drinking water supply here than in many other parts of the world.

Research goals of the turfgrass program at Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center emphasize water, pest management, and improved varieties.  Sometimes these goals converge in the use of integrated methods to provide plant materials and cultural methods to protect slopes from erosion, to prevent groundwater contamination, and to manage pests such as the southern chinch bug.  The "Turf Mountain" is one of several major research facilities for studying the leaching and runoff of chemicals from turf and landscape plantings.

Integrated management strategies include cultural management for weed populations.  For example, in an ongoing study, irrigation techniques are being studied to manage and suppress dollarweed populations.  Dollarweed, also called pennywort, is the main broadleaf weed of St. Augustinegrass, the main turfgrass in Florida.  The Cooperative Extension Service has been telling people for years that if they have a dollarweed problem, it is best to reduce the irrigation.  While dollarweed is more common in wet areas, it has never been shown that, once a dollarweed problem occurs, whether it can be alleviated by reduced irrigation.  It is also not known whether it is the frequency or the duration of irrigation that might be adjusted.  The Dollarweed Management project is also looking at the combined effect of other variables, mowing height and fertilization rate, to develop BMPs (Best Management Practices) for St. Augustinegrass.  While benefiting the hundreds of thousands of St. Augustinegrass lawn owners in South Florida, such research will be of significance statewide.