- Miller, Jennifer T.
Summary
Jeff Davis County Extension provides research to determine optimal cotton variety selection for local climate and soils. Providing educational programs with local data improves producer’s sustainability. Multi-year data provides valuable information to growers on cotton variety selection. This historical knowledge base improves understanding of local issues emerging in cotton.
Situation
Jeff Davis County had a 2019 Cotton Farm Gate value of $1,891,985. Each year cotton acreage fluctuates between 10,000 to 20,000 acres. The cotton industry in Georgia has changed drastically in the last 10 years. Commodity prices have decreased and growers have moved from planting predominately one variety (DPL 555) to using several each year in their farm portfolio. Seed companies release new varieties each year to compete for Georgia’s market. Knowledge with regard to technology packages, disease resistance, yield potential and uniformity are critical for Jeff Davis County grower success.
Response
The Jeff Davis Extension Agent addressed the issue by providing local on-farm cotton variety trials each year for the past 3 years. The On-Farm Variety Trials established by our Extension Cotton Team, is a program for uniform evaluation of cotton variety performance in on-farm situations at the county level. This program expands the number of environments for evaluation by encompassing approximately 20 locations across the state each year. Yield data is compiled and shared at grower meetings at the end of the season. These research plots offer the opportunity for the county agent and grower to see how different varieties respond to the challenges of each growing season. Yield data from the research trial is the main goal, but it also gives us a baseline across varieties for troubleshooting yearly environmental issues.
Impact
As a result of planting the On-Farm Cotton Variety Trial each year the cotton producers of the county have learned important management practices. The cooperating grower for the variety trial stated, “We no longer grow one variety of cotton from one company, this would be like putting all of your eggs in one basket. Spreading risk across varieties helps us reduce yield loss in a given year.” Local data on new varieties enables producers to make an educated decision on which varieties to choose. The yield difference in the top and bottom yielding varieties in the trial for the past 3 years averaged 218 pounds of lint per acre. Growers who selected top performing varieties would gain $148 per acre on farms planted to those varieties. The closest research station to Jeff Davis County is located in Tifton and the growing conditions each year are much different than in Jeff Davis. For this reason, the local county research trials have been very beneficial to cotton producers in Jeff Davis County. Cotton growers in the county are able to look at multiple years of local county data to make better decisions on varieties in which they may have limited knowledge. The unique challenges of each year showcase how the new varieties handle those stressors. Growers see the yield potential of nematode resistant varieties, disease issues, heat sensitivity during the dry 2019, and hurricane resistance as evidenced in 2018. Having the cotton variety trial for reference each year proves to be invaluable to county agent and producer alike.
State Issue
Plant Production
Details
- Year: 2020
- Geographic Scope: County
- County: Jeff Davis
- Location: College Station, Athens
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Program Areas:
- Agriculture & Natural Resources