Turfgrass Science

Winter can lead to turfgrass damage and death, causing challenges for turfgrass managers. And with a changing climate, new challenges are cropping up every year.

Eric Watkins, a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, is seeking out answers to those challenges, most recently through an $8 million USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant. His goal? To better understand the winter stresses that are placed on turfgrass and to identify solutions through plant breeding and best management practices.

By Eric Watkins

We have posted all 2021 turfgrass research plot data on our cultivar evaluation page for 2021. There are results posted from three types of trials.

Learn more about our research! A new article from our group has been published in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. This research found that park users have a preference for natural turfgrass lawns and are more hesitant to use artificial turfgrass lawns, which has implications for decision-makers choosing between these two options. 

Barnes, M.R. and E. Watkins. 2022. Differences in likelihood of use between artificial and natural turfgrass lawns. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Vol 37, March 2022, 100480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100480

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. Eric Watkins did a podcast for Field, Lab, Earth, the podcast from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Listen to the podcast -  Salt-Affected Roadside Grasses with Dr. Eric Watkins - to learn more about our roadside grass research.