Specialists Speaking
Quality Seed Plays An Important Role ALABAMA Steve M. Brown
In the summer of 1973, my parents purchased me a new car. It cost just over $2,300 and was equipped with a manual “three-on-the-tree” transmission, heater and AM radio. It was the first year of new EPA emissions regulations, so it had no “pickup,” as my daddy called it, and poor fuel economy. Fast forward. Last year I purchased my wife a new Honda Civic. It delivers 38 mpg with ample power and has a sunroof, fancy audio system, electric seats (also heated) and windows, self-dimming lights, driver assist systems, which shake you if you drift and brake if you get too close to another vehicle, a computer screen with capabilities beyond me and other bells and whistles. All that for about $25,000, which is more than 10 times the price of my 1973 Chevy Nova. Trends in cottonseed are similar. Contrasted with 30 years ago, today’s seed are amazingly advanced with their lint-producing genetics and pest management technologies built-in or sprayed-on. Of course, today’s seed also command a considerably higher price. Seed comprise an ever-important management and budgetary consideration, confirming, “The seed is where it’s at!” Price and consequence compel careful scrutiny of seed quality. Remember, seed are a biological product subject to effects in the field and gin, as well as through delinting, treating, packaging and shipping. Seed carry a premium price, and while a bag or lot of seed will never be 100% perfect, you should get a very good product. At the least, you should know warm and cool germ data and seed size. Knowing what you have helps you plan and plant accordingly. Obviously, given lots with varying vigor, those with better cool/warm germs should provide superior stands under more challenging conditions. Our recent Cotton Incorporated-sponsored Extension Cotton Specialists Beltwide Seed Quality project indicated that cool germs of 70% or better typically coincide with good warm germination numbers... and good stands. Know what you have. Request the data! cottonbrown@auburn.edu
ARKANSAS Bill Robertson
Striving for earliness is an objective for most cotton farmers. However, planting early does not ensure earliness. While our planting progress the last couple of years has shifted back slightly with half our crop going in the ground the last half of May, record or near-record yields have been achieved. Our optimum planting window in southeast Arkansas historically includes dates ranging from April 20 to April 30. Locations at and north of I-40 see their optimum window shifting back as late as May 9. Establishing a healthy and uniform stand of cotton is the first step toward a successful season. Advances in planting equipment, improved cultural practice techniques and technological improvements in seed quality and chemical protectants have enhanced the potential to obtain a healthy and uniform stand of seedling cotton. Optimum conditions for planting include a mid-morning, 68-degree Fahrenheit soil temperature at our desired planting depth for three consecutive days and a favorable five-day forecast. Good results are often seen with 25 or more heat units (DD60s) being accumulated during the five-day period after planting. It is important to start with the best quality seed to increase the chances of getting a good, uniform stand if conditions are less than optimum. Remember that as seed size decreases the importance of having good soil temperatures increases.
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COTTON FARMING | APRIL 2022
There are many signals or signs that people use to indicate the right time to plant. Getting off to a good, quick start will pay dividends season long. brobertson@uada.edu
ARIZONA Randy Norton
With the 2022 planting season upon us, decisions now need to be made regarding initiation of this year‘s crop. Deciding upon the best time to plant involves evaluating multiple factors in order to have the best chances of establishing a healthy, young cotton crop. Two major factors to be considered are seed quality and planting bed conditions. Every lot of commercial seed sold will have been tested for seed quality by conducting a warm and cool germination test. The results of these tests can be obtained from the individual seed companies. Ideally, warm germination test values should be above 90% and cool germination test values above 60%. If values are less than these, you may want to consider planting that seed under nothing but the best conditions for germination to give it the best chance of developing into a healthy seedling. Seedbed condition is also a major factor to consider when planting. Seed-to-soil contact is critical for having efficient germination and rapid emergence. The process of seed germination begins by the seed absorbing water from the surrounding soil. This process happens best when there is good seed-to-soil contact. An additional critical factor that is largely out of our control is that of soil temperature. Ideally, soil temperatures should be above 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit at 8 a.m. to provide a good environment for seed germination and seedling emergence. Cooler soil temperatures will slow down the process of germination and emergence, making the seedling much more susceptible to disease, which can lead to reduced emergence and poor stands. Adequate soil temperatures and a good three-day forecast free of cold temperatures and rain, are ideal conditions for establishing cotton in the deserts of Arizona. For information regarding other cotton related topics, go to our website at extension.arizona.edu/crops-soils. rnorton@cals.arizona.edu
FLORIDA David Wright
When the weather is good, farmers may want to jump the gun and plant early. Severe cold weather may come and reduce cotton stands. It is very important to watch weather reports and reduce risks of establishing stands. While heavy rainfall is not always predictable and can pack seed beds resulting in poor stands, use of good-quality seed can help ensure good stands. With the prices of inputs increasing more than in a normal year, farmers are still figuring out management to reduce input costs while maintaining yields. We have many farmers that plant in sandy soils, use irrigation and may use about 175 lbs./A of nitrogen. Many non-irrigated growers may use 90-110 lbs./A of N. We have 20 years of research showing that planting cotton after winter grazing can decrease the need for irrigation and N (about 30-100 lbs./A less N), resulting in yield increases of 150-300+ lbs./A. At current costs of $1 per pound for N along other inputs, we need to learn to grow cotton more cheaply without losing yield. More and more farmers are partnering with cattlemen for the benefit to COTTONFARMING.COM
