Specialists Speaking

2022 Variety Selection

TEXAS Ben McKnight

As we think ahead to the upcoming year, variety selection is on everyone’s mind. I’m sure folks have heard this statement several times, but cotton variety selection is the most important decision we will make all year. In many ways, several management decisions are also determined when a variety choice is made. Variety decisions will also be the driving force of how our pest control programs will shape up. Varieties with herbicide-tolerant traits will determine, in a lot of ways, what our core weed management programs will look like moving forward. This is especially important for growers combatting resistant weeds.

Insect resistance to once-viable Bt traits may shift our variety decision to growing a three-gene Bt variety. This can be an important decision on the front end of the growing season, especially with the rising costs associated with inputs and fuel. In fields with a history of bacterial blight, place priority on selecting a variety that has enhanced resistance to the pathogen.

Finally, selecting a variety with good yield potential and fiber quality for your specific area is extremely important. To evaluate current commercial cotton varieties, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension annually conducts several replicated cotton variety trials across a large geography. Results from these Replicated Agronomic Cotton Evaluation trials (RACE trials) are published every year in December at varietytesting.tamu.edu. Growers can use these results to identify which varieties performed well in their region. I encourage everyone to use this resource when making plans for the upcoming growing season.

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you Jan. 4-6 at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio!

bmcknight@tamu.edu

OKLAHOMA Seth Byrd

This time of year we typically start piecing together what we’ve learned from the past season and how it may influence our variety selection decisions moving forward. Looking back at my notes from 2021, maturity and storm tolerance were two of the big factors that seemed to make a difference in variety performance. Given the start of the season, it is likely that seedling vigor will be a factor that was highlighted last year. The slow start resulting from cooler temperatures combined with beneficial rainfall the crop received throughout the months of July and August favored varieties that could achieve rapid stand establishment and initiated reproductive growth early.

These characteristics were not only successful in combating the early season conditions but also were typical of varieties that were easier to defoliate in the fall. Many of the defoliation issues resulted from delayed development from the first three to four weeks of the season. Varieties that were more successful in establishing an adequate stand and reaching key early growth stages in a timely manner were typically also easier to defoliate.

Beyond these agronomic characteristics, be sure to take note of any issues encountered throughout the season, primarily due to weeds, insects or other pests. Determine how to best address these in the coming year. While some may be addressed through variety selection, others may influence control methods, such as seed treatments. Variety trial information is available at cotton.okstate.edu and will be updated as additional information becomes available. seth.byrd@okstate.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson

Another calendar year is in the books. Unfortunately, 2021 brought a few records we could have done without. The biggest was the record rainfall received in much of central and southern Arkansas. Rainfall patterns in southwest Arkansas resulted in greatly reducing cotton plantings. It appears that planting half our crop in the last half of May is becoming the norm. Fortunately, we had another great fall to go along with a late-planted crop that got even later as the season progressed.

Farmers in northeast Arkansas picked one of their best crops in many years. Excessive rainfall resulted in highly variable yields in the central and southeast parts of the state. It lowered farm yield averages not only in cotton but also in other crops. Many felt their yield averages were about 200 pounds of lint per acre off where they should have been.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service December crop production report estimated Arkansas production at 1.26 million bales, 17,000 bales down from 2020. Based on conditions as of Dec. 1, 2021, yield is expected to average 1,287 pounds lint on 470,000 harvested acres. Our previous five-year average is 1,150 pounds lint per acre. The current yield projection shatters our previous high of 1,185 pounds per acre established in 2019. It is not often we have exceptional yields and great prices occurring at the same time. Cotton acres are expected to increase in 2022.

Plans for this season should be falling in place. Variety evaluation information may be found at the University of Arkansas System Division of Ag Variety Testing webpage at https://arkansas-variety-testing.uark.edu/ for variety testing results from county and Official Variety Trials.

Rising input costs and input availability will become major limitations that will shape our management in 2022. Plan to attend your county Extension production meetings this spring. Contact your local county Extension agent for more information. brobertson@uaex.edu

FLORIDA David Wright

Harvest season was excellent in Florida this past year compared to most falls. Much of the cotton was planted later than normal due to weather, first dry and then too wet. Later-planted cotton did well as rain continued into September, and no hurricanes affected opened cotton. In 2021, several companies had significant acreages of Bollgard 3 cotton. With excellent weather, good prices and new varieties, cotton is becoming exciting for farmers to grow again. Recent input price increases have dampened enthusiasm for cotton in 2022, but the memory of good cotton will linger.

The technology used in most new varieties is making an impact on farmers’ yield and economics. This past year has shown the potential for much higher yields when ideal weather occurs.

Late-planted cotton did best for our growers the past two years. But we never know when hurricanes or tropical storms will affect harvest. Cotton breeders with all the seed companies continue to take risk out of production for growers and reduce management intensity with genetics and technology.

Cotton production since 1995 has changed more than the previous 150 years at the farm level. I’m sure the changes will continue faster in the future and help growers keep ahead of any new issues that occur.

wright@ufl.edu

Researchers Seek Best Way To Grow Cotton In Kansas

Crop May Have A Place In Areas Where Water Is Less Available

BY PAT MELGARES

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Is there room for cotton in Kansas … the Wheat State?

There certainly is, says Kansas State University water resources engineer Jonathan Aguilar, who is currently studying the best ways to grow a crop that is traditionally grown in warmer climates.

“One of the reasons we are looking at cotton is because it is drought resistant, or at least doesn’t need a lot of water compared to other crops grown in (southwest Kansas),” says Aguilar, who is located in K-State’s Southwest Research and Extension Center in Garden City.

“The other reason we are doing research on growing cotton is because we are at the northern edge of cotton production in this region. We’ve been growing cotton for three years; our first question was whether it will grow here, and if it will, can it produce a decent yield?”

So far, he says, the answers are “yes” and “yes.”

“We are still getting samples for this year’s crop,” Aguilar says, “but it looks like we will have a nice yield.”

Irrigation Observations

Much of K-State’s research is focused on irrigated cotton as part of a rotation with other crops. Even though researchers are using available water, Aguilar says the crop requires less of it than other crops.

“Surprisingly in our region — and I think our colleagues in Oklahoma say the same thing — if we put more water on cotton, it actually diminishes the yield compared to when you are putting just the right amount, or even limiting the amount of water the crop receives,” he says.

In other words, growing cotton in Kansas may require applying water at the proper time, rather than the actual volume applied.

“We are finding that if we put water just at the critical stage of growth, it will outperform fully irrigated cotton.”

Ongoing Research

Aguilar notes that K-State’s research will continue for two more years to fully understand the proper management to grow profitable cotton in the state. Compared to states such as Texas and Oklahoma, Kansas has fewer warm days. In addition, plant populations are not the same as they are for cotton grown farther south.

“There’s an art and a science to cotton,” Aguilar says. “We are learning more about that. There are instances when we can apply water at the right time when it will produce more compared to not applying water in a strategic way.”

More information on water management in southwest Kansas is available online from K-State Southwest Research and Extension Center.

Southwest Kansas’ drier climate may provide an opportunity for growing cotton.

CCOY

Cotton Consultant of the Year

established 1981

Who is the 2021 Cotton Consultant of the Year?

A West Texas cotton farmer says the 2021 CCOY sends him timely, thorough weekly emails. But if he sees something of concern in the field, he calls him immediately. “He provides me with a helpful, proactive approach that has my fields ahead of the game when the growing season gets here.”

An NAICC o icer says, “For the past seven years, he has instructed the leadership participants on how Washington, D.C., works and how to interact with policymakers and representatives of commodity groups and other agricultural associations.”

He is described as an excellent independent consultant and strong advocate for cotton farming. He has a reputation for helping his farmers profit from the sound advice he gives them. He takes his customers’ farming operations to heart.

Who is the man so deserving of these accolades?

Look for the big announcement in the February issue of Cotton Farming!

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by Continued from page 12

LOUISIANA Matt Foster

One of the most important decisions producers make is variety selection. With numerous transgenic traits currently available, this can o en be di cult. A producer needs to have as much information as possible to make a more informed decision. With proper variety selection, producers increase their chances to be pro table and sustainable.

To aid in this process, the Louisiana State University AgCenter annually conducts o cial variety trials at the Northeast Research Station in St. Joseph, Macon Ridge Research Station in Winnsboro, Dean Lee Research Station in Alexandria, and Red River Research Station in Bossier City. is past year, 48 cotton varieties were evaluated at these locations.

In addition to the o cial cotton variety trials, seven on-farm cotton variety trials were conducted with producers throughout the state. e main objective of these trials is to provide as much information as possible concerning a cotton variety’s performance over a range of soil types, growing conditions and management practices.

As a new growing season approaches, variety selection plays a major role in the planning process. Now is a great time to review the past year’s performance. Results of the 2021 LSU AgCenter cotton variety trials are located at https://www. lsuagcenter.com/topics/crops/cotton.

Happy New Year and best of luck during the upcoming season. mfoster@agcenter.lsu.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper

I expect the varieties selected for 2022 will likely represent the newest set we have planted in the past four years. Based on preliminary data from 2021 and data from 2020, I feel con dent a number of these have top-end yield potential.

While I suspect a few are very stable and can tolerate a variety of stresses, we don’t yet have a thorough understanding of response to environment for all the new varieties. Your best opportunity to minimize risk is to select several of them. is prevents a big loss from choosing a variety that fails in the environmental unknowns of 2022 and gives you a great opportunity to see each of them on your own ground.

By the time you read this, the Tennessee Cotton Variety Trial data will have been released on news.utcrops.com. We had a great set of largeplot trials throughout Tennessee last year. I was also pleased with the separations we generated within our small-plot trials. I encourage you to nd a small-plot o cial variety trial near your location and specify varieties based on it. A er identifying 15-20 entries, narrow down your selection more based on the large-plot trials (county standard tests) that closely match your growing environment.

One other comment on variety selection. Over the past several years, we have seen a few mid-maturing varieties perform in the top-tier. I encourage you to consider adding them to your mix IF you believe you can get them planted early in the planting window.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions on selection or trial results and have a Happy New Year! traper@utk.edu

GEORGIA Camp Hand

Sometimes I struggle to make decisions. Just yesterday, I was talking about getting one of our upcoming agent trainings catered. Katie, my business manager, asked, “Well, what do you want? We can get barbeque or something.” I told her, “I’m not sure about barbeque because so many people have that at their meetings. I’m not sure what I want, but I can tell you what I don’t want.” Before I decide, I’ll inevitably ask some folks who they think would be a good caterer and even look at online reviews before I decide who to go with.

Variety selection can be one of the most dif cult decisions growers make. In reality, maximum yield potential is set once you choose a variety. Although yield is the major component in the process, there are other things to think about. A few considerations are weed control technology, nematode resistance packages, disease resistance packages, leaf pubescence, plant growth regulator responsiveness, ber quality and others. ese are factors Georgia growers should consider prior to settling on a variety.

To assist in the variety selection decision, the University of Georgia provides several resources. First is the on-farm variety evaluation program. In 2021, 12 commercial varieties were planted in grower elds in 25 locations across Georgia to look at variety stability across multiple environments. Secondly is the UGA O cial Variety Trial program that evaluates a higher number of varieties in fewer locations. ese two types of trials are conducted yearly to help with this complex decision. Find results for both at ugacotton.com.

While you refer to those resources for variety selection, I’ll be looking at catering reviews trying to make an important decision myself. As always, your local UGA county Extension agent and specialists are here to help! Reach out if you have any questions. camphand@uga.edu