Factors influencing the purchase of low-input turfgrasses in the northern US

Kentucky bluegrass is the most common cool-season turfgrass grown in the northern US. The fact that Kentucky bluegrass is a high input sod requiring under a significant amount of fertilizers, pesticides, and water, has led to environmental concerns among policymakers, researchers, and consumers. To address these concerns, turfgrass breeders have developed improved cultivars of low-input turfgrass species that aim to improve the sustainability of US lawns, such as tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea Schreb.; syn. Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons] and fine fescues (Festuca spp.), which may represent viable options for residential and commercial buildings due to their outstanding performance under lower amounts of inputs such as irrigation, pesticides, and fertilizers. Yet, the production of low-input turfgrasses in the northern US is slow and limited, which leads to marketing and education obstacles that support their adoption. Understanding factors that influence sod buyers to purchase low-input turfgrasses is imperative to increase the market share and the adoption of these turfgrasses. This study investigated the factors influencing sod buyers to purchase tall and fine fescue in the northern US. Using a logistic regression model, we assessed the determinants of low-input turfgrass purchase among sod buyers. The adoption is then expressed as a function of determinants, including the firm's characteristics, supplier characteristics, sod attributes, and buyer's perceptions. logit regression results showed that landscapers were more likely to purchase tall and fine fescue compared to golf courses and municipal parks. We found that distance from sod supplier to on-site delivery negatively impacted the purchase of low-input turfgrasses. Similarly, Kentucky bluegrass buyers were less likely to purchase low-input turfgrass species.