About

Eric Watkins is a Professor and Vice Provost for Distributed Learning at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the development of low-input turfgrass cultivars suitable for cold climates, with particular emphasis on germplasm improvement of cool-season turfgrass species such as fine fescues and perennial ryegrass. His work involves turfgrass cultivar evaluation and other aspects of turfgrass science, including efforts to improve winter hardiness in perennial ryegrass through field and laboratory approaches, as well as metabolomics. Watkins has led initiatives to identify and enhance low-input turfgrasses for various landscapes, demonstrating the utility of fine fescue species for turf management systems like roadsides, home lawns, and golf courses. In addition to his research, he is involved in outreach activities aimed at educating the public and stakeholders about sustainable turfgrass practices, water conservation, and informed grass seed purchasing decisions. As Vice Provost, he provides leadership for online educational programs across the University of Minnesota system.

Research topics

• Botany
• Biology
• Agronomy
• Horticulture
• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Geography
• Environmental resource management
• Environmental planning
• Optics
• Business
• Genetics
• Chemistry
• Civil engineering
• Engineering
• Physics

Selected publications

• Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) Metro Area bee lawn assessments and bumble bee survey, 2023-2025

  Environmental Data Initiative · 2026-01-01

  datasetOpen access

  Over eighty residential lawns were recruited across the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area to take part in a survey of bumble bee species, vegetation and soil characteristics across lawns with differing management regimes. Lawns were selected to capture a range across the urban to rural gradient (based on percent of impervious surface) and household incomes and ethnicity at the Census block group level. Approximately half the lawns were characterized as "traditional" lawns, while half were considered "bee lawns" based on initial plant and bee community data. Three non-residential sites were included in this study: Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (ORD), The Minnesota Bell Museum of Natural History (BELL), the University of St. Thomas Stewardship Garden (UST). The Bombus spp. composition was surveyed NON-LETHALLY at each site twice. Each property was also surveyed for plant species composition and soil moisture. Locations of the lawns are represented by a randomized bounding box to protect the privacy of participating residents in the study.

  PublisherDOI

• Winter damage diagnostic modeling based on synthetic vegetation indices from UAV-based multispectral imaging

  Computers and Electronics in Agriculture · 2025-12-27

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The Economic Cost of Winter Injuries on Golf Courses in North America

  HortScience · 2025-07-21

  articleOpen access

  Golf courses in North America experience occasional damage from winter injuries. This damage can sometimes be very severe, resulting in substantial financial impacts. Winter damage to turfgrass surfaces affects golf course finances in three primary ways: winter injury prevention costs, additional costs of inputs to recover from winter injuries, and revenue losses due to delayed openings. We conducted a survey of golf course superintendents in North America to assess the economic impact of winter injuries. The survey collected data on the causes of winter injuries, the extent of damage across the golf course, and management practices that were employed. We found that, on average, the cost of preventing winter injuries was between $12,000 and $17,999 annually per golf course, and additional costs of inputs to recover from winter injury ranged from $6000 to $8999. The revenue losses due to delayed openings, ranging from $3000 to $8999 per golf course, further emphasize the far-reaching consequences of winter injuries.

  PublisherDOI

• Rolling after the application of a contact fungicide does not reduce efficacy on putting greens

  2025-11-24

  articleOpen access

  Golf course superintendents are often challenged by labor shortages and must find creative ways to complete maintenance tasks before golfers arrive, such as rolling putting greens directly after a fungicide application. However, there is concern that rolling immediately after fungicide has been applied could reduce its efficacy. The objective of this research was to determine if rolling directly after a contact fungicide application reduces disease suppression on putting greens. Field experiments were conducted in 2021 and 2022 in Saint Paul, MN, and in 2022 in Columbus, OH. The experimental design was a split-plot randomized complete block examining the interaction between rolling and fungicide application. The fungicide Secure® Action™ (fluazinam with acibenzolar-S-methyl) was applied approximately every 14 or 28 days and was or was not rolled after application. Data were collected for dollar spot ( Clarireedia jacksonii ) and Rhizoctonia disease, turfgrass quality, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). In 2021, fungicide application significantly reduced Rhizoctonia infection centers and improved turfgrass quality and NDVI, regardless of the rolling treatment in Saint Paul. In 2022, fungicide application significantly reduced the Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC) for dollar spot at both locations and for Rhizoctonia in Saint Paul. There was no significant effect of rolling or its interaction with fungicide on disease control in any experiment. These data show that rolling after applying Secure® Action™ (a contact fungicide plus a systemic chemical) did not reduce its efficacy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Identifying challenges in establishing pollinator lawns among current and potential owners

  Agricultural & Environmental Letters · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Interest in alternatives to traditional turfgrass lawns is growing, with pollinator lawns emerging as a popular option. Although these lawns offer some advantages over traditional ones, such transitions present challenges for homeowners. This study aimed to identify the most common obstacles encountered by current and prospective pollinator lawn owners and understand how individuals define pollinator lawns. Two primary areas of concern emerged: costs of establishing pollinator lawns and issues related to soil conditions/proper site preparation. Potential owners had higher levels of concerns overall compared to current owners. Alleviation of both actual and perceived challenges is needed on the production and distribution side (new lower cost mixes), and for homeowners through accessible guidance on common pitfalls and best practices for establishing and maintaining pollinator lawns to make transitions more successful to increase pollinator habitat in urban areas.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effect of cool season turfgrass mixtures and mycorrhizal inoculation at establishment to sequential acute droughts under field conditions

  Crop Science · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Turfgrass species mixtures are often recommended over the use of single species due to greater genetic diversity to meet broader landscape needs. However, the intended composition of the mixture can change over time due to rates, contrasting tolerance to environmental stresses, and management practices. Strategies used to increase tolerance to stresses, such as drought, include applications of beneficial microorganisms, which may favor some turfgrass species in a mixture. The application of mycorrhizal inoculant is popular, but mycorrhizae's impact on turfgrass mixture response to drought is unknown. To address both the need for more information about turfgrass mixtures and the use of microbial inoculants, field experiments were conducted in Minnesota using mixtures and monocultures of Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.), perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.), and hard fescue ( Festuca brevipila Tracey), each with and without inoculation with mycorrhizae. Plots were exposed to sequential drought and recovery periods lasting ∼30 days. Data were collected on turfgrass health and species cover. Results showed that the application of mycorrhizal inoculant during the establishment period did not impact species cover and had little effect on reducing symptoms of drought stress. Hard fescue performed the best during both drought and recovery even when mixed at a low proportion with the other species, especially when mixed with Kentucky bluegrass. Turfgrass species cover was consistent across drought and recovery periods, except for when species were replaced by bare soils or weeds.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) exposure produces rapid and permanent damage in turfgrass

  Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Despite anecdotal evidence that suggests bug sprays containing N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) damage turfgrasses, there is no peer-reviewed research investigating this in detail. The aims of the present study were to determine whether it is the DEET or the carrier solvent in bug sprays, ethanol, that damages turfgrasses, quantify the level of damage, and establish whether turfgrasses treated with DEET would recover in both indoor and outdoor environments. In a controlled, indoor environment, directly spraying DEET solutions on perennial ryegrass damaged leaves in a dose-dependent manner with an LD50 of 9.7%. Direct spraying of DEET solutions also damaged both perennial ryegrass and bentgrass in two separate, outdoor experiments, performed one year apart. Turfgrasses that died due to DEET exposure did not recover even up to 30 days after treatment in indoor experiments. Furthermore, an untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed significant changes in the metabolomes of DEET-treated perennial ryegrass within one hour of DEET application, prior to observable phenotypic effects. This report is the first rigorous demonstration that the DEET in bug spray directly damages turfgrass.

  PublisherDOI

• Recovery of five cool‐season turfgrasses following long‐term ice encasement

  Crop Science · 2025-03-01 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Ice encasement is a major concern for turfgrass managers in cold climates; however, there is a lack of data about both which turfgrasses are best suited for survival under these conditions and the reasons behind the superior recovery of some grasses from long‐term ice encasement. In this study, we encased golf course putting greens‐height field plots of creeping bentgrass ( Agrostis stolonifera L.), velvet bentgrass ( Agrostis canina L.), annual bluegrass ( Poa annua L. var. reptans Hausskn.), Chewings fescue ( Festuca . rubra L. ssp. commutata Gaudin), and slender creeping red fescue ( F . rubra L. ssp. littoralis (G. Mey.) Auquier) with ice for 90–120 days with the inclusion of CO 2 , O 2 , and temperature sensors at 2.5 and 12.5 cm depth to better understand environmental conditions under ice and factors related to winterkill. Velvet bentgrass had the best overall performance and recovery, while annual bluegrass did not survive. Differences in recovery among turfgrass taxa may have been affected by the length of the ice encasement period, higher CO 2 levels (>40,000 ppm), and lower O 2 values, particularly in the second experimental run. During the recovery period in both years, photochemical efficiency values began increasing 5–10 days before percent green cover, suggesting that visual performance of the turf surface is a lagging indicator of recovery. Overall, recovery from ice encasement was annual bluegrass < Chewings fescue < creeping bentgrass = slender creeping red fescue = velvet bentgrass. These results can guide turfgrass managers in making species selection decisions in areas where long‐duration ice encasement is a risk.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cultivating connections: Framing turfgrass as a thriving social–ecological–technological system

  Crop Science · 2024-10-08 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Turfgrass systems are some of the most ubiquitous forms of perennial agricultural systems. People interact with them on a daily basis, and they provide a wide variety of social and environmental benefits. Over the past two decades, turfgrass systems have been increasingly seen as coupled human‐natural systems, which has prompted new avenues of research across multiple areas from breeding to management. While this human‐natural systems framework has been helpful, the rapid development and integration of technology (e.g., smart sensors, robotic mowers) and the push for nature‐based solutions and green infrastructure have changed the landscape significantly for turfgrass systems. With this in mind, the current work advocates for the adoption of a new framework, social–ecological–technological systems (SETS), to better understand where turfgrass systems research is situated now and, more importantly, what directions it could go in the future.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Response of cool‐season turfgrass monocultures and two‐way mixtures to sequential acute drought periods

  Crop Science · 2024-10-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Turfgrass seeds are often sold as mixtures of several species to increase the probability of positive responses toward abiotic and biotic stresses, a response to drought being one of these. Several species of turfgrass are already thought to be better suited for drought, such as hard fescue ( Festuca brevipila Tracey) and tall fescue [ Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort]. However, little is known about the benefit of these species in mixtures with drought‐intolerant and/or drought‐avoiding species during drought. Understanding species mixture composition during establishment, before and after drought stress periods, could help develop more resilient mixtures for this stress condition. We compared monocultures and mixtures of hard fescue, Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.), and perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) during sequential short drought and recovery periods in controlled conditions. We observed that the composition of most mixtures remained similar during drought and recovery periods; however, perennial ryegrass was often less prevalent after drought stress. We found that hard fescue monocultures had better green leaf coverage than Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass during drought stress. However, the presence of hard fescue in mixtures was not an indicator of greater drought tolerance, and variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence data indicated that hard fescue was just as physiologically stressed as perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass during the drought periods. These results indicate that while hard fescue seems visually drought tolerant, it is still physiologically stressed and improved drought tolerance could be achieved through focusing on physiological indicators of stress in this species rather than visual indicators.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Chengyan Yue

  University of Minnesota

  43 shared

• Michael R. Barnes

  University of Minnesota

  38 shared

• Andrew Hollman

  27 shared

• Brian P. Horgan

  Michigan State University

  25 shared

• Stacy A. Bonos

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  21 shared

• Jingjing Wang

  Shandong Normal University

  20 shared

• Yufeng Lai

  University of Minnesota

  19 shared

• William A. Meyer

  Quest Diagnostics (United States)

  19 shared

Education

• Ph.D. / Plant Biology, Plant Biology

  Rutgers The State University of New Jersey

  2004

• B.Sc. / Science in Agriculture

  University of Minnesota System

  1998

Awards & honors

• Crops Science Society of America Fellow, 2023
• Turf & Ornamental Communicators Assoc. Environmental Communi…
• Crop Science Society of America Teaching Award, 2018
• John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising, 20…
• Center for Transportation Studies Faculty Scholar for 2013-2…