Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Joan Barreto Ortiz, Candice Hirsch, Nancy Jo Ehlke and Eric Watkins has been published in Plant Methods. This paper describes a method to quantify turfgrass inflorescence properties using computer imaging to provide a faster and less subjective way to phenotype, which can aid in plant breeding.

Barreto Ortiz, J., Hirsch, C.N., Ehlke, N.J. and Watkins, E. 2023. SpykProps: an imaging pipeline to quantify architecture in unilateral grass inflorescences. Plant Methods 19:125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-023-01104-z [Open Access] 

Members of our team will be giving talks at Northern Green, a trade show and conference dedicated to green industry professionals. Consider attending this worthwhile event!

Northern Green
January 23-25, 2024
Saint Paul RiverCentre

Register for this event 

This year’s presentations from our team include:

The Turfgrass Science team from the University of Minnesota was well-represented at this year’s ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meetings held on October 29 - November 1, 2023 in St. Louis, MO.  Two people gave oral presentations and three people presented posters. Below is a listing of all the oral presentations and posters along with the presentation abstracts and the poster PDF files.

Oral presentations

Cultivating New Opportunities for Turfgrass Science Education in Minnesota

Presenting Author - Michael Barnes; co-authors Ileana Campagna, Becky Haddad and Eric Watkins

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. Researcher Michael Barnes wrote Real concerns with fake grass in the Fall 2023 edition of the MPSFMA News from the Minnesota Park and Sports Field Management Association. 

Dr. Eric Watkins has been awarded a 2023 CSSA Fellowship by the Crop Science Society of America.