Variety selection is one of the most important decisions a cotton producer makes each year. Many factors play a role in making proper decisions, and this topic will be covered in detail at your local county cotton production meeting (SEE POST ON MEETING SCHEDULE).
Since 2010, UGA Extension Cotton Agronomists and County Extension Agents have evaluated the performance of cotton varieties in an on-farm program set up to deliver information to help producers make variety selection decisions. Each year, a set of varieties are evaluated in numerous on-farm, replicated, strip trials across Georgia. These varieties are considered to be “the best of the best” and varieties that have shown potential in earlier testing (either by industry or UGA) and could be planted to significant acreage in the following growing season. This program is set up to evaluate variety performance across a diverse set of environments in order to make more informed variety selection decisions. Over the past couple of years, we have observed an influx of new cotton varieties with excellent yield potential, yet there are fewer options when considering varieties which can produce top yields consistently across environments and situations. The stability (how frequently a variety performs at, or near, the top) has been one of the best predictors for how well a variety may perform across a broad range of environments.
The preliminary results from 2016 are available at the link below. Updates will be made (including fiber quality and OVT data when available). Please contact your local county agent for interpretation of information and for more information on variety selection.
2017 UGA On-Farm Cotton Variety Evaluation Program (Slides 1-17-17)