PSS Research Facilities: Quaker Avenue Research Farm
The Quaker Avenue Research Farm is a 130-acre farm operated by the Department of
Plant and Soil Science. Researchers from Plant and Soil Science, other departments
at Texas Tech, Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension, and many agribusiness
companies conduct research at the farm. The Quaker Avenue Research Farm is located
at 200 N. Quaker Avenue, just north of 4th street, less than a 10 minute drive from
the center of the Texas Tech campus. The farm is at 33° 41' 36.4596" N, -101° 54'
18.612"W, the elevation is 3,256 feet (992 m) above sea level, and the average annual
rainfall is 18.6 in (472 mm). The average dates of last and first frosts are April
1 and November 9, respectively.
The farm has 120 acres for large- and small-plot research, and 13 acres for turfgrass
research. The entire farm is irrigated from two groundwater wells producing 800 gallons
per minute. More than 75 acres are equipped with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI).
The SDI allows efficient use of irrigation water, and is an excellent research tool.
The turfgrass is irrigated by sprinkler irrigation, and the balance of the farm is
irrigated by surface flood irrigation. Our long-term goal is to equip the entire 120
acres of plot research area with SDI.
Lubbock, Texas is at the center of the "largest cotton patch in the world", and
much of the farm is devoted to research on cotton–including breeding, irrigation response
research, evaluation of crop protection chemicals and regulated events, and more.
Other crops found on the farm include various turfgrasses, onions, corn, peanuts,
grain sorghum, and wildflowers. Castor, canola, soybean, mustard, and safflower are
also researched on the farm because of their potential as biofuel crops.
Our "Industry Partners" have provided funds for operation and improvement of the
Quaker Avenue Research Farm. They are Plains Cotton Growers, High Plains Underground
Water Conservation District No. 1, Cotton Incorporated, Texas Peanut Producers Board,
Texas Corn Producers Board, National Sorghum Producers, Bayer CropScience, and Monsanto.
