Professor Bohn's main focus is the study of genetic phenotypes within Zea Mays. Since every hybrid has their own strength, whether it is dietary application, antioxidant production, starch, or oil extraction, it is important to measure and document the strengths and weaknesses of each hybrid. He uses a process called HTS, or High Throughput Screening, which screens the DNA, antibodies, and active compounds within corn to assess a multitude of corn hybrids. He has used this to extract certain compounds, such as Ferulic Acid, within certain hybrids to measure overall efficiency of each hybrid. 

Another important part of genetic research is the reaction to biotic and abiotic stresses, which are the effects of living organisms and the environment on corn. For example, many people think that yield is highly influenced based on the amount of ears present on each plant. However, it is significantly more effective to place the seeds closer together so that more plants can be grown. For this reason, it might be useful to test the exact spacing for each hybrid to see which hybrid can withstand this spacing.

Outside of genetic research, Professor Bohn continues his observation of biotic and abiotic stresses with interactions between corn and various insects. The best example of this interaction is the Western Corn Rootworm, which is the most dangerous and costly insect to corn production in the Midwest. The USDA estimates that over $800 million in corn yield is lost due to the infestations of the Western Corn Rootworm. Professor Bohn led a research study of various genetic hybrids to measure their defense abilities against the Western Corn Rootworm and found that two genetic hybrids were particularly strong against the worm as measured by the smaller sizes of each larvae found in hybrids SUM2162 and SUM2068.