Faculty Member, PhD
Job Title
Throckmorton PSC
1712 Claflin St
Manhattan, KS 66506
Ph: 785-532-
Eric grew up on a farm in Ottawa County, Kansas, and farmed there until returning to college. After completing his BS in Crop Protection and MS in Plant Pathology at Kansas State University, he completed his PhD in Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Then he moved to Illinois to manage a research farm for the University of Illinois near Monmouth in northwest Illinois for 16 years. In 2011, he assumed the position as agronomist-in-charge, managing the Kansas River Valley and East Central Kansas Experiment Fields.
The research program at the East Central Kansas Experiment Field is designed to keep area crop producers abreast of technological advances in agronomy. Specific objectives are to:
- Identify the top-performing varieties and hybrids of wheat, corn, soybean, and grain sorghum
- Establish the amount of soil loosening and crop residue cover needed for optimum crop production
- Evaluate weed and disease control practices using chemical, non-chemical, and combination methods
- Test fertilizer rates, timing, and application methods for agronomic efficiency and sound environmental principles
The research program at the Kansas River Valley Experiment Field was established to study the management and effective use of resources for irrigated crop production in the Kansas River Valley. Current objectives are to evaluate:
- Corn hybrids and soybean varieties
- Fertilizer materials, rates, timing, and application methods in an effort to increase agronomic efficiency and promote sound environmental principles
- Weed control practices for corn and soybeans
- Insecticide, disease, and nematode control in corn and soybeans
- Cultural practices that can enhance agronomic production and profitability