Research in the Plant Sciences at KSU is conducted in the modern and well equipped laboratories of the Throckmorton Plant Sciences Center, which supplies a working area for the departments of Plant Pathology, Agronomy, Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources. Additionally, the research developed inside the halls of Throckmorton can be given roots within the 100,000 sq ft. of attached greenhouses, across the more then 1000 acres of dry land and irrigated crop land of the university research farm, or upon one of the many plots within any of the experimental research fields located across the State.
Both sponsored research and fee-for-service opportunities abound within the area of Plant Science at KSU. The state-of-the art facilities of the departments of Plant Pathology and Agronomy can support research in virtually any area of pathology, genetics, weed science, crop breeding, climatology, and soils.
As a genomics and biotechnology leader in Kansas, the Department of Plant Pathology houses facilities for plant transformation, DNA sequencing and physical mapping of chromosomes, robotic manipulation of DNA clones, and analysis of gene expression. Services are provided by the department via the Gene Expression Facility, DNA Sequencing Facility, Plant Diagnostic Lab, and Plant Transformation Facility; the fee schedules for which can be viewed under the "Labs" tab on this website.
The responsibilities of the Department of Agronomy relate directly to the production inputs of 65,000 farms on 47.5 million acres of cropland and rangeland in the state. Many research and extension activities of the department are conducted cooperatively with faculty at outlying research centers, in other Departments in the College of Agriculture, other Colleges at Kansas State University, and with colleagues and organizations beyond Kansas. The department provides its services via the following: The Kansas Crop Performance Tests; a state-wide testing program which evaluates varieties and hybrids of wheat, sorghum, corn, soybean, alfalfa, sunflower, oats, barley, triticale, and canola; the results of which are widely publicized to aid producers in choosing the optimum variety or hybrid for crop production; The Kansas Foundation Seed Program; the goal of which is to maximize production of varying outstanding varieties of seed and to make this seed available to seed growers; and finally, The Soil Testing Lab; which provides accurate and timely analyses and recommendations to thousands of farmers statewide to aid their crop management decisions.