People

Current

Dr. Ross Braun - Assistant Professor of Turfgrass and Landscape Management and Director of Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center

Dr. Braun is an Assistant Professor of Turfgrass and Landscape Management with a teaching/advising (60%) and research (40%) appointment and the Director of the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center at Kansas State University (KSU). He was raised in North Dakota, where he attended North Dakota State University (B.S. degree in Sports & Urban Turfgrass Management, 2011). Before graduate school research at Kansas State University in 2012, he already had 10 years of experience in lawn, landscape, and golf course management in North Dakota, Wyoming, and Minnesota. He received his M.S. degree in Horticulture from Kansas State University in 2014 under Drs. Jack Fry and Megan Kennelly. He received his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Kansas State University in 2017 under Dr. Dale Bremer.

During graduate school he conducted and contributed to a number of basic and applied research projects. These projects focused on turfgrass colorants, experimental zoysiagrass evaluation, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program cultivar trials, fertilizer source and application timing on Rhizoctonia large patch disease, fungicide efficacy, cultural weed and disease management, managing turf to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration, and turfgrass stress physiology in response to deficit irrigation, drought, and traffic stresses. The latter two projects focused on water conservation and stress management, an important issue in Kansas and surrounding states. After graduate school, he was a Lead Research Scholar in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University under the mentorship of Dr. Aaron Patton, Turfgrass Extension Specialist at Purdue University, for four years with research focused on low-input turfgrass systems such as fine fescues and zoysiagrass, sod production, establishment and management barriers in low-input turfgrass systems, zoysiagrass freeze tolerance, zoysiagrass genotype evaluation, water submersion (flooding stress) tolerance of cool-season turfgrass species, weed control strategies, and developing innovative research equipment.

Currently, his research program at K-State is focused on utilizing low-input turfgrass systems, reducing management inputs (i.e., water, fertilizer, pesticides, and mowing) in turfgrass systems, investigating solutions to establishment, management, and sod production barriers in turfgrass systems, understanding turfgrass seed coating technology, surveying consumer and practitioner use of extension education services, and delivering research-based information using innovative outreach methods.

His teaching program at K-State involves advising undergraduates and graduates, overseeing undergraduate internship appointments, advising the K-State Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association (GCSAA) undergraduate club, and teaching undergraduate courses on turfgrass culture, turfgrass disease, weed, and insect management, and horticultural irrigation systems.

Wesley Howe - Research Assistant and Manager of Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center

Wes Howe is a research assistant and turf center manager at Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center in Manhattan, KS. The Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center works to seamlessly accommodate field research needs of K-State turfgrass and landscape faculty, and serve as a premier education resource through field days and outdoor classroom/lab space for K-State horticulture students and those employed in the commercial turf and landscape industry. Wes handles day to day operations including mowing, spraying plots, equipment repair, irrigation system operation and repair that covers more than 10 acres of turfgrass research plot space, including multiple rain-out shelters.

Wes is a native of Manhattan, KS and a graduate of the Horticulture program at Kansas State University, with a focus on landscape design. He also has an A.A.S. Degree in turfgrass management and twenty years of experience in golf course, sports turf, residential and commercial landscaping maintenance. His hobbies include playing guitar and drums, home improvement projects, gardening, and working on tractors and other various shop projects.

Parul Mandal - Ph.D. Student

Parul Mandal is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources at Kansas State University. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, followed by a Master's degree in Agronomy from Punjab Agricultural University in India. During her master’s program, she investigated the impact of rice residue mulch loads and irrigation scheduling on wheat growth, yield, and water productivity in Punjab, India.

Parul's current Ph.D. research at K-State centers on exploring the impact of coated seed of cool-season turfgrass on storage, germination, and establishment. This innovative work has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach turfgrass management and maintenance. In pursuit of her Ph.D. in turfgrass science, Parul joined Dr. Ross Braun's Turfgrass lab in spring 2023.

She has gained valuable experience through various programs and internships. She participated in the Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) Program, where she honed her problem-solving skills while working closely with farmers and growers. She also completed an internship program in Mushroom production at the HAIC Integrated Mushroom Research & Development Center in Haryana.

Muhammad Ammar Rafique Ph.D. Student

Ammar is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources at Kansas State University.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences with a major in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, followed by a Master's degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

Before joining K-State, Ammar began his professional career as a Research and Development Manager at Bahar Seed Corporation in Pakistan, where he focused on enhancing crop performance through the application of scientific breeding techniques. He later served as an Agriculture Trainer at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, where he taught farm management courses and guided students and farmers on the application of modern agricultural technologies.

Ammar's current Ph.D. research at K-State focuses on low-input turfgrass management. His work involves assessing species and cultivar performance across different environments, evaluating optimal species mixtures to enhance sod production, measuring sod tensile strength, and analyzing seasonal harvestability and soil loss risks in low-input turfgrass systems. Through this research, he aims to support the development of sustainable turfgrass options that require fewer inputs and can improve adoption by farmers and end-users.

Muhammad Usman Tanveer - Ph.D. Student

Usman is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources at Kansas State University. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Agriculture-Horticulture from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. He has been taught core areas of Agriculture-Horticulture during his bachelor’s degree and completed research and a thesis during his Master’s program on “Comparison of various fertilization regimes on growth and quality attributes of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ‘Fine Dacca’”. After his master’s program, he was a Golf Course Superintendent at Lahore Gymkhana Club, Lahore, Pakistan, and then at Islamabad Club, Islamabad, Pakistan, for more than 6 years. He has also completed training at Defence Raya Golf & Country Club, Lahore, Pakistan and Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

His PhD research focuses on warm-season turfgrass management. More specifically, he is evaluating advanced zoysiagrass hybrids for golf course tees to greens use as well as traffic management in warm-season turfgrass systems.

Alumni

Emmanuel Nwachukwu - Graduate Student

Emmanuel Nwachukwu graduated in Spring 2025 with a M.S. in Horticulture.

Emmanuel conducted research on cool season turfgrass sod production (tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass). These experiments aimed at studying sod strength and handling differences at harvest, rhizome growth, germination and establishment differences, and growth potential after harvest.

M.S. Thesis - Nwachukwu, E. U. (2025). Assessment of Cool-season Turfgrass Sod Production Characteristics of Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass. M.S. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan. https://hdl.handle.net/2097/44804

Current Position - Ph.D. student at Rutgers University

Alex Stanton - Graduate Student

Alex Stanton graduated in Summer 2024 with a M.S. in Horticulture.

Alex conducted research on homeowner and landscape professional perceptions and decision-making of turfgrass management practices as well as understanding the knowledge and use of Cooperative Extension education services. In addition, Alex also conducted research related to the use of crib sheets (study sheets) on tests in a horticultural classroom setting.

M.S. Thesis - Stanton, A. (2024). Cooperative Extension and teaching at a land-grant university: homeowner and industry perspectives and considerations of lawn and landscape extension resources and authorized crib cards in the classroom. M.S. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan. https://hdl.handle.net/2097/44462

Current Position - Ph.D. student at Kansas State University