While traditional approaches to combating buffelgrass have often focused on pesticides and labor-intensive manual removal, a UA laboratory is taking a unique approach to studying the species and its spread. 

Arizona has hundreds of thousands of acres of water-heavy agriculture, like cotton. In total, this accounts for 70% of Arizona's water consumption annually. With over half-a-million residents, Arizona has long tried to deal with the largest inhibitor of growth in the hottest parts of the state: water. But in recent years, both Tucson and Phoenix have seen major revolutions in water management.