Eric Watkins
New research publication from our team - 9/18/23
Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Florence Breuillin-Sessoms, Dominic Petrella, Nancy Ehlke, Donn Vellekson and Eric Watkins has been published in the journal Crop Science. This article discusses the research in which several cultivars of Chewings, hard and strong creeping red fescue were interseeded with spring wheat to examine the potential of this method for seed production in northern Minnesota. Unfortunately, this cropping system did not seem optimal for fine fescue seed production so more research is needed.
University of Minnesota Turfgrass team in the media – 8/15/23
Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. Eric Watkins was interviewed for an article in Better Homes & Gardens. Read What Is a Bee Lawn? Plus How to Plant One by Anne Readel to learn about planting and maintaining a bee lawn.
Eric Watkins receives Environmental Communicator of the Year Award
The Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) and Project EverGreen awarded Dr. Eric Watkins the 2023 TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year Award!
University of Minnesota Turfgrass team in the media – 4/3/23
Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. An article on bee lawns for Sierra, the magazine for the Sierra Club, features comments from Eric Watkins.
See Inside the Rise of Bee Lawns by Anne Readel on the Sierra Club website for the full article!
New research publication from our team - 3/22/23
Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by James Wolfin, Eric Watkins, Ian Lane, Zachary Portman, and Marla Spivak has been published in the journal Urban Ecosystems. This article discusses the research behind one of our most popular topics - bee lawns. The authors found that low-growing flowers planted in turfgrass lawns can support diverse bee pollinators.
Wolfin, J., Watkins, E., Lane, I., Portman, Z.M. and Spivak, M. 2023. Floral enhancement of turfgrass lawns benefits wild bees and honey bees (Apis mellifera). Urban Ecosyst. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01339-7
New research publication from our team - 3/21/22
Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Michael Barnes and Eric Watkins has been published in the journal HortScience. This article discusses a case study that examines perceptions of natural turfgrass compared to artificial turf as they relate to their potential uses and perceptions of sustainability.
University of Minnesota Turfgrass team in the media – 2/21/23
Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. An article features the UMN Turfgrass Science team in the latest edition of the MGCSA's Hole Notes publication.
See the February 2023 Edition of Hole Notes on page 46 for "How much does research cost" by Eric Watkins.
University of Minnesota Turfgrass team in the media – 1/23/23
Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. An article features the UMN Turfgrass Science team in the latest edition of the MGCSA's Hole Notes publication.
See the December 2022 Edition of Hole Notes on page 52 for "Determining Irrigation Thresholds Using Plant Available Water" by Ryan Schwab, Josh Friell, Eric Watkins and Gabe Olson-Jensen.