A dizzying array of genetics and varieties are available for today's cotton producers. But picking a productive and potentially profitable variety doesn't have to be difficult, said a Texas Cooperative Extension cotton agronomist.
"Keep it simple and be a smart shopper," advised Dr. Randy Boman, Extension cotton agronomist based at Lubbock. "Compare several characteristics among many varieties and then key the most valuable of those characteristics to typical growing conditions on your farm."

Growers can't control the growing environment or climate from year to year, but they can select and plant varieties that fit their farms. Two of the most important characteristics are genetic potential for yield and lint quality, he said.

Advanced genetic traits such as herbicide tolerance and insect and disease resistance are also valuable, but they, too, should be evaluated based on performance in local field trials.

"The Plains Cotton Improvement Program's replicated, large-plot variety trials are a good start for comparing baseline performance," Boman said.

"Another good source of information is the annual variety trials conducted by John Gannaway, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station cotton breeder at Lubbock."

These evaluation tools and crop production guides pertinent to High Plains growing conditions are available online at: http://lubbock.tamu.edu . Publications to look for include Gannaway's "2005 Cotton Performance Tests in the High Plains and Trans-Pecos Areas of Texas"; Dr. Terry Wheeler's "2005 Texas High Plains Cotton Variety Ratings for Verticillium Wilt"; and Extension's "2005 Systems Agronomic and Economic Evaluation of Cotton Vareities in the Texas High Plains."

"It's best to compare varieties and genetics based on multi-year and multi-site averages, when they are available," Boman said. "Yield potential is always foremost in growers' minds, but lint quality can be just as important."

2004 and 2005 were record-setting yield and quality years on the High Plains. Yield totaled 4.8 million bales in 2004 and went to 5.6 million bales in 2005, he said.

"We produced the greatest percentage of the highest color quality grades ever in 2005," Boman said. "Fiber length may also set a record, and only 8 percent of our yield was contaminated with bark.

"But 2005 was also a low-micronaire year. Our micronaire averaged about 3.7, the second lowest since 1992 and only marginally higher than 2004.

Variety selection and considerable moisture stress for late-set bolls in September could account for this."
Minimal precipitation and higher irrigation energy costs could make 2006 a challenging year, he said. Even so, there are several new varieties that may fit growers' plans. Monsanto's new Roundup Ready Flex system will allow season-long, over-the-top application of glyphosate-based herbicides at higher rates than previously recommended.

Monsanto's Bollgard and Dow AgroSciences' Widestrike technologies will offer caterpillar resistance in new varieties, including some that also incorporate the Roundup Ready Flex system.

"We sell pounds of lint, but its value is a function of fiber quality," Boman said. "These are profitability factors, but we also need to consider adaptability."

Longer-season picker varieties are adapted to areas with longer growing seasons than the High Plains usually has. They can sometimes be a good choice for growers willing to invest in management, but can be risky in the uncertain Plains climate.

"Even with good weather, growers run a risk by leaving open-boll cottons in the field hoping for a killing freeze to condition the plants for harvest," Boman said. "Terminating irrigation, and applying defoliants/desiccants at the right time and getting your crop out of the field early is a much better option."

Storm-proof varieties are more suitable for uncertain harvest conditions that occur on the High Plains and are more likely to survive damaging weather without considerable lint loss. As a result, Boman advises growers to check for storm resistance when evaluating varieties for 2006. Most of this year's new varieties were developed specifically for spindle picker harvesters and may lack storm resistance.

"For the past two years, we have had good to excellent moisture conditions across the region," Boman said. "One issue we often encounter is nearly all varieties tend to have less storm resistance when they are under significant moisture stress. The bottom line is picker varieties may have higher risk for pre-harvest storm losses when they are moisture stressed. These later maturing varieties may also be prone to low micronaire."

Transgenic varieties are another option, if the cost is competitive with traditional weed or insect control practices. Resistance to verticillium and fusarium wilt, bacterial blight and root-knot nematodes is another valuable trait for growers to consider, he said.

Dr. Terry Wheeler, Experiment Station plant pathologist, conducted several regional verticillium wilt tolerance trials with Roundup Ready varieties in 2005. Lack of seed prevented Roundup Ready Flex varieties from being included in these trials.

"There was substantial variation in verticillium wilt tolerance in Dr. Wheeler's trials," Boman said. "If you have a field with a verticillium wilt problem, planting a resistant current generation Roundup Ready variety may be a good hedge – rather than trying a Roundup Ready Flex variety with unknown resistance."

No matter how growers evaluate varieties, they shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.

"Put some diversity in your final variety list," Boman said. "Don't plant the farm to only one variety. Matching varieties and genetics to specific fields helps you spread your production risk. It's simply good management."