Breeding and Production of Grain, Fruit and Forages The Plant Science Unit, acquired in 1963, consists of 212 acres located five miles south of the Agriculture Campus on US Highway 129. This tract is used for research efforts in breeding and production of forages, corn, and soybeans, with a comprehensive research program in weed control. Research in vegetables, small fruits and tree fruits, and breeding orchards for production of improved pine and hardwood seed are located in this unit. The bottom land is Sequatchie soil. This tract is used predominantly for the small grain and breeding and evaluation programs.
Current research involves wheat, oats, and canola.
The major soil type is Decatur. The most recent addition to the Knoxville Experiment Station, the 425 acres of the Holston Unit are located at the headwaters of the Tennessee River, approximately eight miles from the Agriculture Campus. There are 225 acres of river bottom land largely of Huntington and Altavista soils, while the remaining upland soils are Etowah and Decatur. This tract is used predominantly for grain and forage production, herbicide studies, dairy heifer development, and forage and breeding studies related to beef cattle.