Selection of the Best Lawn Grass for Kabul City:  A Household-Based Survey

Abdullah Abid; Masood Saeed; Mohammad Khalid Rashidi

doi:10.62810/jnsr.v4i3.502

Authors

Abdullah Abid Kabul University, Horticulture Department, Agriculture Faculty, Kabul, Afghanistan
Masood Saeed Kabul University, Horticulture Department, Agriculture Faculty, Kabul, Afghanistan
Mohammad Khalid Rashidi Kabul University, Horticulture Department, Agriculture Faculty, Kabul, Afghanistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62810/jnsr.v4i3.502

Keywords:

Bermuda grass, Lawn grass, Semi-arid climate, Turfgrass sustainability, Urban landscaping

Abstract

Urban lawns have become increasingly prevalent in residential areas of Kabul despite the challenges of lawn management due to the semiarid nature of the city’s environment. Many people still plant lawns due to the aesthetic value and the function of providing recreational grounds. This research sought to determine appropriate turf grass species that would thrive in urban conditions of Kabul. Data were collected from 201 respondents using a pre-coded questionnaire using Kobo Toolbox. Descriptive analysis was performed on quantitative data while qualitative data were organized into themes. The results revealed that lawns are common with 67.66% of the subjects owning one. However, the performance of lawns is limited due to environmental constraints such as lack of water sources. Most of the houses are using well water (90.55%) for irrigating their lawns and drought (86.57%), lack of water (83.58%), hot weather (62.19%) and winter cold (43.78%) were the environmental constraints limiting the performance of lawns in Kabul. The results reveal that environmental stresses and not biological problems are the factors that limit the sustainability of lawns in Kabul. Bermuda grass (Cynodon spp.) was the species that was mostly used and favored among the assessed turfgrass species because of its tolerance to drought and hot weather as well as low water needs for growth. Cool season grasses can also be considered if there are proper irrigation conditions.

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