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Manhattan Plant Materials Program

by Mark A. Janzen, Plant Materials Specialist
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Salina, Kansas

The mission of the Plant Materials Program is to develop, test, and transfer plant technology to meet customer needs for the conservation of natural resources. The purpose of the Plant Materials Program is to carry out specialized activities in resource conservation as part of the overall program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It is the responsibility of the Plant Materials Center (PMC) to:

  • Assemble, select, test, improve, and release plant materials for conservation use
  • Determine techniques for the successful use and management of conservation species
  • Facilitate the commercial increase and production of conservation species
  • Provide for development and transfer of applied science technology

The Manhattan PMC is located 10 miles southwest of Manhattan, Kansas, on 169 acres of loamy, fine, sand soils. The PMC provides plant materials assistance to eastern Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and northern Oklahoma.

The PMC had its beginnings in the mid-1930’s as a federal nursery. The nursery’s focus was tree seedling production and native grass seed processing needed for the massive re-vegetation program being carried out at that time. Operations were reduced during World War II, and the Manhattan Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Nursery closed in 1953. The facility was operated by Kansas State College (KSC) under an agreement between SCS and KSC until 1965 when SCS resumed operation of the PMC. It was the beginning of the modern era of plant materials work that is the foundation for the current ongoing work.

Today the purpose of the program is to provide native plants that can help solve natural resource problems. Beneficial uses for which plant material may be developed include biomass production, carbon sequestration, erosion reduction, wetland restoration, water quality improvement, streambank, riparian area protection, and other special conservation treatment needs. Scientists at the PMC seek out plants that show promise for meeting an identified conservation need and test their performance. After species are proven, they are released to the private sector for commercial production. A few of the better known releases include: big bluestem, sand bluestem, sideoats grama, buffalograss, little bluestem, and western wheatgrass.

For a complete list of PMC conservation plant releases or for additional information about the Plant Materials Program, visit the Kansas Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (formerly SCS) Web site at www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov. You will find the Manhattan PMC under the Technical Resources tab.

This article is also available in Microsoft Word format.

Manhattan Plant Materials Program (DOC; 37 KB)

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Last Modified: 09/04/2008