Education :
PhD, 2003, NC State University (Crop Science)
MS, 2000, Auburn University (Agronomy and Soils)
BA, 1998, Auburn University (Communication)

Professional Experience:
2008 - present: Assistant Professor, Auburn University, Agronomy & Soils
2003 - 2007: Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee, Plant Sciences
2001 - 2003: Graduate Research Assistant, NC State University, Crop Sciences
1998-2000: Graduate Research Assistant, Auburn University, Agronomy & Soils

Professional Activities:
My research program has two major focuses: 1) evaluation of herbicides for use in turfgrass management, and, 2) development of new sustainable organic and non-synthetic pesticide weed management practices for use in turfgrass management. Synthetic herbicides are the most widely used method of weed control in turfgrass management. New herbicides are being developed to replace older herbicides that have problems with environmental, human, and other non-target toxicity. New herbicide chemistries have lower active ingredient use rates per area, are more targeted toward plant physiology, and have less chance of non-target contamination. In general, I conduct research evaluating turfgrass species tolerance and effectiveness of herbicides in controlling major weeds in Alabama. One specific research focus is controlling annual bluegrass in golf course turfgrass. Annual bluegrass is one of the most problematic weeds in golf course turf, reducing aesthetic quality and playability. New herbicides currently being tested could reduce triazine herbicide (atrazine, simazine) use, materials which have been implicated in amphibian reproductive malformations. Also, research is focused on control of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon). Bermudagrass, while an excellent turfgrass species, is also one of the state’s worst weeds in turfgrass and agriculture in general. Bermudagrass control is difficult because few selective herbicides are available and control can take up to two to three years. My research has focused on new chemical control measures for bermudagrass, alternative soil sterilization techniques, and the influence of non-chemical management practices on control. A second focus of my research program is the development of weed management practices that do not utilize synthetically produced pesticides. Synthetic pesticides are under constant scrutiny due to their potential unintended consequences. Pesticides used in turfgrass receive additional scrutiny because such use is viewed as a non- essential luxury usage that does not contribute to commodity production, except in the case of sod. My research is focusing on direct control measures that could potentially replace synthetic pesticides. Such areas include: non-chemical soil sterilization prior to establishment, utilization of plant by-products for weed prevention, and combinations of phytotoxic oils and middle-length chain fatty acids for postemergence weed control. In addition, my research also focuses on general weed biology and ecology. Greater understanding of weed biology and ecology will bring about understanding of why weeds persist in a given environment and aid in development of management practices that seek to manipulate the environment to reduce weed competitiveness. With consumers desiring to use safer chemistries, and pressure by the EPA to ban pesticides, new weed management practices that do not use pesticides will continue to be an important area of turfgrass management. For this reason, research on non-synthetic pesticide weed control methods will continue in my research program for years to come. My research program also focuses on utilization of chlorophyll fluorescence technology for turfgrass stress detection and evaluating physiological response of plants to herbicides. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurement techniques quantify basic photosynthetic plant health by measuring the efficiency of photosystem II. Herbicides that damage plant physiological systems will eventually induce damage to the photosystem and thus can be measured by chlorophyll fluorescence measurement techniques. Fluorescence techniques have been utilized little in the study of turfgrass stress tolerance and herbicide physiology. My research currently focuses on utilization of fluorescence to evaluate turfgrass response to drought and heat stress, and tolerance of suspected herbicide resistant weeds to various herbicide modes of action. This research will continue in the future.

Current Graduate Students:

Michael Flessner, M.S., Agronomy and Soils, started Summer 2008
Project: Herbicidal and anatomical response of grasses to synthetic
auxin herbicides.

Mark Doroh, M.S., Agronomy and Soils, started Summer 2008
Project: Conversion of bermudagrass to zoysiagrass turf utilizing
cultural and chemical methods.

Hunter Perry, Ph.D., Agronomy and Soils, started Summer 2008
Project: Amicarbazone use in turfgrass: Poa annua control, perennial
ryegrass overseeding, and resistance management.

Jared Hoyle, Ph.D., Agronomy and Soils, started Summer 2009
Project: Influence of soil characteristics on weed germination
response to heat induce sterilization techniques.

James McCurdy, Ph.D., Agronomy and Soils, started Fall 2009
Project: Development of sustainable weed control practices for the
southern lawn.