Ag Extension Program to Focus on Turfgrass Science in Maricopa County
By Susan McGinley
December 12, 2003
Part of the state's rapid growth and development has included the increased construction of more sports stadiums and recreational sports facilities. Golf courses alone in Arizona contribute more than $1.5 billion to the economy. Many of these facilities require the installation and maintenance of turfgrass.
Kai Umeda, area extension agent with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, has recently assumed new responsibilities for conducting an extension program in turfgrass science in Maricopa County and adjacent counties.
In his new assignment, Umeda will collaborate with extension specialists and researchers in the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' departments of plant sciences; entomology; plant pathology; and soil, water and environmental science. The goals are to research new turfgrass varieties for the desert, improve water use efficiency, and survey insect, disease and weed problems. Umeda will be the conduit for transferring technology and up-to-date information from the University's Karsten Turf Research Center in Tucson to turfgrass managers at golf courses, at sports turf and recreational facilities and in the landscape industry.
"Turfgrasses benefit the environment by filtering water, improving soil and air quality, moderating desert temperatures and reducing noise and glare," Umeda says. "They are aesthetically pleasing, as well. Major issues facing professional turfgrass managers include water conservation, groundwater and environmental protection, and pesticide use and safety."
For the past 10 years, Umeda's applied research in weed control and pest management projects has focused on vegetable crops. He has organized outreach education field days, seminars and workshops on topics ranging from direct farm marketing to food safety.
Prior to joining the UA in 1994, Umeda had experience in conducting turf herbicide research for private industry. He is a member of the Weed Science Society of America, where he recently spent his sabbatical leave assisting in the organization of an international conference, "Invasive Plants in Natural and Managed Systems."
He has a master's degree in weed science from Southern Illinois University and an
undergraduate degree in pest management from the University of California, Berkeley.
Cooperative Extension is a statewide non-formal education network bringing research-based information into communities to help people improve their lives.
- Updated: December 12, 2003
