.jpg)
LINCOLN — Roch E. Gaussoin’s unique name and dynamic personality are well known to many Nebraskans and turfgrass scientists around the nation. As a University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, he made a name for himself on and off campus as a distinguished Nebraska Extension turfgrass specialist who appeared regularly as a featured panelist on “Backyard Farmer,” the longest- running non-syndicated TV show in history.
Gaussoin retired Oct. 1, 2024, after a 33-year career at Nebraska and is now a professor emeritus of agronomy and horticulture. He began at the university in 1991 out of a desire to do practical research and outreach extension.
Born in New Mexico, Gaussoin moved to Southern California, then back to New Mexico in high school and wasn’t sure if he wanted to attend college after graduation. He eventually chose New Mexico State University with encouragement from his dad, who wanted him to attend an in-state school. On a whim, he decided on fisheries and wildlife as his major because a friend did the same. After discovering most students wanted to become game wardens and employment opportunities were limited, he decided to switch to agronomy.
“I thought I wanted to feed the world, so I chose agronomy,” Gaussoin said.
Gaussoin received a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, specializing in soils, from New Mexico State in 1980. After graduation, he took a technician job in plant breeding to get free tuition for his wife, Priscilla, who was pursuing an undergraduate degree.
While working on a turfgrass research project, he was encouraged to pursue an advanced degree. His plant breeding classes were significant, setting the groundwork for his interest in science. He eventually chose to specialize in turf because he had an epiphany of sorts with his legally blind brother, who enjoyed the game of golf.
A great golfer in high school with a 4 handicap, his brother was losing his eyesight. He wanted to play a round of golf one last time, so Gaussoin agreed to help guide him on the course. It was a little frustrating for them and others on the course. When they reached the No. 6 hole, a long par 4, Gaussoin instructed him on where the hole was and pointed him in the right direction. Much to Gaussoin’s surprise, his brother pulled out his persimmon wood driver and struck the ball. The ball, eliciting that perfect sound, cleared the dog leg and landed 70 yards from the pin — a perfect shot. His brother turned and said, “That was a good one, wasn’t it? Let’s let these people behind us play through and go home.”
“That was all he needed,” Gaussoin said. “He talked about that moment till the day he died about three years later. I thought, if there’s a game that makes people feel this way, then there’s a reason to do science in that regard. I chose turf, and I didn’t look back.”
Gaussoin’s adviser at New Mexico State, the late Arden Baltensperger, was on a mission at that time to get an improved bermudagrass and he had funding from the United States Golf Association.
“He [Baltensperger] was a Nebraska grad and intense,” Gaussoin said.
“I was really intrigued with the idea of plant breeding and manipulating plants,” he said. “Back then, it was not gene jockeying. There was no biotech. It was like, let’s cross this with that and see what it looks like.”
He did four years of turf research under Baltensperger, and from that work came a new variety called NewMex Sahara. It became the No. 1-selling seeded turf-type bermudagrass for about 10 years. In the process, he received a master’s degree in crop science, specializing in plant breeding.
Gaussoin decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Turfgrass Science at Michigan State University, concentrating on weed science, under the direction of Bruce Branham.
After completion of his doctorate, Gaussoin was offered a position at MSU as a non-tenure-track academic specialist. The two-year, funded program was to teach students to be entrepreneurs in the lawn care business. He took the position and developed the curriculum for the program, which is still in use today.
Following graduation, Gaussoin considered taking an industry job, but he decided to stick with the “purist pursuit of science” in academia and took a position with Kansas State University for three years, where he worked in turfgrass weed management.
Upon his arrival at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln in 1991, the USGA — which sets the standards for golf green construction — was looking to modify its recommendations for golf green construction which hadn’t been substantially altered since 1963. Gaussoin received a USGA grant related to this topic, sending him down a path that would dominate his research and outreach efforts until his retirement.
He dedicated nearly three decades to researching critical aspects of putting green construction and management. Gaussoin’s collaborative approach has also contributed to the improvement of buffalograss, a native low-maintenance grass that requires little irrigation, has few serious pests and could advance the sustainability of golf in some regions.
“That’s the ride I’ve taken the last 25 years,” Gaussoin said. “For the first five to 10 years, I worked on weed control, weed management research and integrated weed management and non-pesticide control — all the things the funding would drive and like most academics, you have to have money to do your job.”
When discussing what has changed in the last 35 years, he mentions how genetics and plant breeding have produced turf species more tolerant of disease. A significant change has been transitioning from heavy inputs to being conscious of using less fertilizer. One of the projects Gaussoin is most proud of is the opportunity to work with the USGA on golf green construction, which segued into soil organic matter. He focused on this for over two decades.
“You have this unique system that is unlike any ag system,” he said, referring to turfgrass science. “On a golf green, organic matter compromises play — it makes for a soft surface, it doesn’t dry out — all the reasons you don’t want too much organic matter.”
“Master’s students started looking at the research data on the practices traditionally implemented on golf greens, and they found some interesting contradictions,” he said.
Traditionally, golf greens are cultivated at least once a year, and frequently more, with a device that extracts small diameter cores, which are removed and replaced with sand (AKA coring and topdressing). This method improves playing surface quality and dilutes the organic layer created at the soil/grass interface. It is a messy, time-consuming and labor-intensive operation. Gaussoin’s students identified a far more efficient approach with the same or better outcome using a solid tine instead of a coring tine.
