Systems Agronomic and Economic Evaluation of Cotton Varieties in ...

Results and Discussion:Agronomic data including plant population and boll storm resistance data areincluded in Table 1.Significant differences were noted for all yield and economic parameters (Table 2).Lint turnout averaged 33.4% with a high of 35.9% and low of 30.0% for FiberMax2011GT and NexGen 2051B2RF, respectively. Bur cotton yield was significant atthe 0.10 level and averaged 3800 lb/acre. Lint yields varied from a low of 1170lb/acre (Stoneville 4288B2F) to a high of 1332 lb/acre (PhytoGen 367WRF). Lintloan values ranged from a low of $0.5032/lb to a high of $0.5450/lb for Stoneville4288B2F and All-Tex Nitro-44 B2RF, respectively. When adding lint and seedvalue the total value ranged from a high of $936.68/acre for PhytoGen 367WRF toa low of $812.49/acre for Stoneville 4288B2F. After subtracting ginning, seedcosts and technology fees, the net value/acre among varieties ranged from a highof $747.08/acre (FiberMax 2011GT) to a low of $622.39/acre (Stoneville4288B2F), a difference of $124.69.Micronaire values averaged 4.1 units across the trial but no significant differenceswere observed among varieties (Table 3.) However, significant differences wereobserved among varieties for the remaining fiber quality parameters at thislocation. Staple averaged 34.5 across all varieties with a high of 36.3 for All-TexNitro-44 B2RFand a low of 32.9 for Croplan Genetics 3156B2RF. Uniformityranged from a high of 81.8% for All-Tex Nitro-44 B2RF to a low of 79.7% forDeltapine 1219B2RF with a test average of 80.7%. Strength ranged from a low of27.9 g/tex for Croplan Genetics 3156B2RF to a high of 33.7 g/tex for All-TexNitro-44 B2RF. Elongation averaged 10.1% across varieties and leaf gradeswere mostly 2 and 3. Color grade components of Rd (reflectance) and +b(yellowness) averaged 75.5 and 9.9, respectively and resulted in color grades ofmostly 22 and 32.These data indicate that substantial differences can be obtained in terms of netvalue/acre due to variety selection. Additional multi-site and multi-year appliedresearch is needed to evaluate varieties across a series of environments.Acknowledgments:Appreciation is expressed to Chris Bass for the use of his land, equipment andlabor for this demonstration. Further assistance with this project was provided byDr. Jane Dever - Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Lubbock,and Dr. Eric Hequet - Associate Director, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute,Texas Tech University. Furthermore, we greatly appreciate the TexasDepartment of Agriculture - Food and Fiber Research for funding of HVI testing.Disclaimer Clause:Trade names of commercial products used in this report are included only forbetter understanding and clarity. Reference to commercial products or tradenames is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and noendorsement by the Texas A&M System is implied. Readers should realize thatresults from one experiment do not represent conclusive evidence that the sameresponse would occur where conditions vary.23