Features Agronomy
Pioneer turfgrass breeder Reed Funk dies

Dr. C. Reed Funk, a pioneer in the breeding of turfgrasses, has died at the age of 84 after a brief battle with pneumonia.

After joining the faculty at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in 1961, he developed hundreds of cool-season turfgrass cultivars throughout his four-decade-long career. His work produced notable improvements in pest and stress tolerance. He was behind the first successful method for breeding Kentucky bluegrass through intraspecific hybridization. His germplasm and enhancement programs revolutionized the sod and seed industries around the world.

His full obituary can be read at http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/starledger/obituary.aspx?pid=160309895#fbLoggedOut.