Dr. Christians' area of research interest is in the development of naturally occurring herbicides for the turf industry. U.S. Patent 5,030,268 on the use of corn gluten meal as a natural herbicide was issued in 1991. The patent was reissued in 1993 with broader claims that cover the use of corn gluten meal on field crops and home gardens under number RE #34,594. Two additional patents were also issued in 1993 on the technology. Patent # 5,290,749 on the use of hydrolyzed proteins from corn and other grains that were shown to have higher levels of herbicidal activity than the corn gluten meal was the first to be issued. Christians is also involved in several other projects, including soil testing techniques for sand-based soil systems, remote sensing of nutritional and moisture stress of turf, physiological response of grass to mowing, the establishment of Roundup Ready creeping bentgrasses, and the control of creeping bentgrass in Kentucky bluegrass golf course roughs.

He is the author or Co-author of 3 books. These include Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management 2nd ed., The Mathematics of Turfgrass Maintenance 3rd ed., and the Scotts Lawn Book.

Dr. Christians teaches Hort 351, Turfgrass Establishment and Maintenance, Hort. 451, Advanced Turfgrass Maintenance, and part of Hort 222. He has extensive internship program under Hort 391 and advises several special projects each year under Hort 490. He advises approximately 100 undergraduates and has 3 Ph.D. and 3 M.S. students.

Dr. Christians has no official extension program, but is involved in several extension related activities with the turfgrass industry each year.

Dr. Christians has over 960 publications. This includes over 100 refereed publications, more that 180 popular publications, 3 US patents, International Patents in Canada and Australia, 3 books, more than 150 published abstracts, and a wide variety of published research reports.

• Control Options - What's next for Poa annua control, by Nick Christians