Lubbock, Texas
March 15, 2007
With planting time just around the
corner, South Plains farmers are thinking about cotton seed or
already booking it with suppliers. There is a dizzying array of
genetics and varieties available today, but picking seed doesn't
have to be difficult, said a
Texas Cooperative
Extension cotton agronomist.
"Be a smart shopper," advised Dr. Randy Boman, Extension cotton
agronomist based at Lubbock. "Keep it simple. Compare several
characteristics among many varieties and then match those to
typical growing conditions on your farm."
Producers can't control growing conditions or climate, but they
can choose "smart genetics" with good potential for yield and
lint quality. Genetic traits such as herbicide tolerance and
insect and disease resistance are valuable too, but they should
be evaluated using data from local field trials, he said.
"In some cases, it's wise to select varieties based on
individual field conditions," he said. "Fields with high disease
pressure should be matched to resistant varieties. On the other
hand, disease-resistant varieties may not perform as well as
other varieties in fields with zero disease pressure."
Boman recommended four publications when comparing cotton
varieties nose-to-nose:
- 2006 Cotton Performance
Tests in the Texas High Plains and Trans-Pecos by Dr. John
Gannaway, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station cotton
breeder.
- Extension's 2006 Systems
Agronomic and Economic Evaluation of Transgenic and
Conventional Varieties in the Texas High Plains.
- 2006 Texas High Plains
Cotton Variety Ratings for Verticillium Wilt and 2006 Texas
High Plains Cotton Variety Ratings for Bacterial Blight,
both by Dr. Terry Wheeler, Experiment Station plant
pathologist.
These publications and crop
production guides pertinent to High Plains growing conditions
are available online at:
http://lubbock.tamu.edu .
"They are a good start for comparing baseline performance,"
Boman said. "It's best to compare varieties and genetics based
on multi-year and multi-site averages, when they are available.
Yield potential is foremost in growers' minds, but lint quality
is just as important. We sell pounds of lint, but its value is a
function of fiber quality."
Last year was challenging for cotton producers on the South
Plains. More than 1 million acres of dryland cotton failed due
to drought that lingered into mid-August. Even so, producers
harvested more than 4 million bales – the third largest crop
ever. The crop also had record fiber length and strength, he
said.
"But 2006 was also a low-micronaire year," Boman said. "Our
micronaire averaged about 3.8 – the third lowest since 1992 and
only marginally higher than 2005. Pounds of lint and fiber
quality are profitability factors, but we also need to consider
adaptability."
For example, longer-season picker varieties are adapted to areas
with longer growing seasons than the High Plains. They can
sometimes be a good choice for growers willing to invest in
management but can be risky in the uncertain Plains climate, he
said.
"Even with good weather, it's risky to leave open-boll cottons
in the field hoping for a killing freeze to condition the plants
for harvest," Boman said. "Terminating irrigation, applying
defoliants and desiccants at the right time and getting the crop
out of the field early is a better option."
Storm-proof varieties are more suitable for uncertain harvest
conditions and are more likely to survive damaging weather
without considerable lint loss. As a result, Boman advised
growers to also check for storm resistance when evaluating
varieties.
"One issue we often encounter is nearly all varieties tend to
have less storm resistance when they are under significant
moisture stress," he said. "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. Resistance
to verticillium and fusarium wilt, bacterial blight and
root-knot nematodes is another valuable trait for growers to
consider, he said.
"All of this is food for thought when you are comparing cotton
genetics and varieties," Boman said. "No matter how you size-up
and choose varieties, don't plant the farm to only one variety.
Diversify your planting list. Spread your production risk by
matching varieties and genetics to specific fields. It's simply
good management."
Writer: Tim W. McAlavy |
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