TifTuf recognized by Georgia General Assembly

The Georgia General Assembly passed a pair of resolutions recognizing the University of Georgia-developed bermudagrass TifTuf.

Adopted during the 2020 legislative session, the House and Senate resolutions commend the continuous success of the Georgia-grown TifTuf and the work of its developers, UGA faculty members Wayne Hanna and Brian Schwartz, and acknowledge that “the highly acclaimed new bermudagrass variety is taking the turfgrass industry by storm” in Georgia. The House resolution was authored by Rep. Houston Gaines (R-117), and the Senate resolution was authored by Sen. John Wilkinson (R-50).

“This recognition from the legislature was a complete surprise to us because Brian and I were just doing our jobs,” said Hanna, professor of crop and soil sciences in the College of Agricultural And Environmental Sciences at UGA-Tifton. “I am thankful that the university gives us the freedom to be creative and to develop these grasses and other inventions that serve the taxpayer and public.”

Hanna and Schwartz have been developing and testing TifTuf for almost 25 years, demonstrating that the bermudagrass variety uses 38 percent less water and retains 95 percent more green leaf tissue during drought stress when compared to other varieties.

“Wayne and I are extremely proud of its superior drought-tolerant characteristics and its ability to maintain such an aesthetic appearance across different residential and commercial applications,” said Schwartz, associate professor of crop and soil sciences at UGA-Tifton.

For more information on TifTuf, read the full article here.