Abstract: The deficiency of water resources is a core inhibiting factor for grass growth in arid and semiarid grasslands worldwide. Thus, development of technologies aimed to improve the wateruse efficiency and grass productivity is the key to sustainable development of the grass industry. In this paper, we briefly reviewed the strategies for improving wateruse efficiency of grasses from methods of irrigation, soil surface mulching, tillage modes, microorganism regulations and the application of materials inhibiting plant respiration. Furthermore, based on the main problems existing in current studies related to improvement of water use efficiency, we provided research perspectives for the future, which included the four following aspects: developing new varieties of highquality grasses with high drought tolerance, paying more attention to insitu field experiments and the mechanisms in wateruse efficiency, employing advanced technologies in basic researches, and developing comprehensive technology and management systems for improving wateruse efficiency of grasses.

Key words: biomass, soil sterilization, spruce, ectomycorrhizal colonization