Department of Agronomy

South Central Experiment Field

The 160-acre South Central Kansas Experiment Field was established in 1951 on the U.S. Coast Guard Radio Receiving Station located southwest of Hutchinson. In March 2004, the Kansas State University Foundation took possession of approximately 300 acres of land southwest of Partridge, Kansas. This land was donated to the Foundation by George V. Redd and Mabel E. Bargdill for use in developing and improving plants and crops, and is being worked into the research activities of the South Central Experiment Field.

The principle objective of the two fields is to assist the area’s agriculture develop to its full agronomic potential using sound environmental practices. This is achieved through investigations of fertilizer use, weed and insect control, tillage methods, seeding techniques, cover crops and crop rotations, variety improvement, and selection of hybrids and varieties adapted to the area as well as alternative crops that may be beneficial to the area’s agriculture production.

Experiments deal with problems related to production of wheat, grain and forage sorghum, oats, corn, soybeans, cotton, rapeseed/canola, sesame, crambe, sunflowers and soil tilth, water and fertility. Breeder and Foundation seed of wheat, oat, and canola varieties/hybrids are produced. A large portion of the research program at the Field is currently dedicated to wheat and canola breeding/germplasm development and cropping systems.

Research Projects

  • Dryland wheat, canola, and grain sorghum variety performance tests
  • Irrigated corn, soybean, and grain sorghum variety performance tests, conducted off-site
  • Long-term conventional and no-tillage continuous wheat, with fertility rates
  • Long-term no-tillage cover crop termination date-grain sorghum-wheat rotation, with fertility rates
  • Long-term no-tillage soybean-wheat-grain sorghum rotation, with fertility rates
  • No-tillage canola-wheat-grain sorghum rotation, with fertility rates
  • The conversion of CRP grass to irrigated production research is taking place on the KSU REDD Foundation south quarter
  • Wheat breeding and genetics facilities

Get In Touch

Phone: 785-477-2810