Alabama Cotton Shorts
February 15, 2021
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February 15, 2021
Situation. The final numbers on the 2020 crop are not altogether final, but it appears that the 28 Alabama gins will process about 700,000 bales from last year’s crop. Converting to a standard USDA bale measure of 480 lbs and assuming an average running bale weight of 493 lbs, that is almost 719,000 total bales harvested. Given an FSA tally of 445,000 acres, the average production settles at 775 lb/A.
Without question, we thought we had a much better crop September 1. In contrast, the numbers from 2019 were 1,028,000 bales from 532,000 acres for an average of 928 lb/A.
Near-final quality data are below. With the adverse weather during September and October, staple, mic, strength and uniformity were better than expected. In fact, five years ago who would have believed we would average a 37.3 staple! That’s a great number and a tribute to breeding and development. But the glaring, obvious negative is seed coat fragment deductions, which generate an extraneous matter penalty of 4.7 cents/lb. Forty percent of the crop classed in Macon had seed coat penalties.
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Page turned, we look ahead to the 2021 crop and a significant advancement in price. Last Friday the December ‘21 cotton futures price close was 83.89 cents. We welcome a price which begins with an 8! (Brown)
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The 2021 Alabama Row Crop Production Meeting will be held via Zoom on February 18. The course is free but requires pre-registration to enter the meeting. It will provide 2 CEUs (1 for Integrated Pest Management and 1 for Crop Management) to those seeking CCA certification credits. To register and check the agenda go to https://www.aces.edu/go/rowcrops The meeting will be archived and that link will be forthcoming. (Morata)
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Impact of seedling thrips control during bloom
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Thinking About Thrips. The Auburn Cotton Entomology team conducted several research trials in 2020 to help us continue to refine the “Cotton IPM System.” Attached is a short summary of some of our at-plant management trials. We tested several insecticide seed treatments (IST) and in-furrow treatments at Prattville and Belle Mina. Overall, treatments performed well and generally kept thrips injury below threshold. Moving into 2021, our recommendation is to either use an imidacloprid based IST (e.g. Gaucho, Aeris, Avicta Elite) or an in-furrow application of imidacloprid, acephate or aldicarb. One consideration for acephate is rain fastness. Even when soil applied at planting, excessive rainfall can leach acephate out of the rootzone and lead to less than ideal efficacy. Use the The Thrips Infestation Predictor for Cotton and scout fields to help determine when a foliar application may be necessary to supplement at-plant treatments. More information about the CottonTIP can be found here. For more information about thrips, check out our new publication, Pests of Alabama Cotton: Thrips (ANR-2718). (Graham and Smith)
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Efficacy of Thrips Management Options for Reducing Damage and Preserving Cotton Yields. Studies were conducted at the Prattville Agricultural Research Unit (PARU) in Prattville, AL and at the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center (TNVREC) in Belle Mina, AL, to evaluate selected seed and in-furrow treatments against thrips infesting seedling cotton. To evaluate treatments, whole plot thrips injury ratings were made on a 0-5 scale. On this scale, “0” means no injury is observed, “3” is considered the threshold when delays in maturity are likely and yield loss is possible, and “5” means thrips have killed all the plants in the plot. Although initial thrips injury ratings were higher at PARU, both locations had significant pressure at the final rating. Except for Cruiser and Orthene 97S at PARU, all treatments significantly reduced thrips injury ratings compared to the untreated controls (black seed, fungicide only). As has been consistently reported across the Mid-South and Southeast, Cruiser performed poorly at both locations, while Orthene performance was different at each location (Figure). Although no significant differences in yield were observed among treatments, using a recommended at-plant insecticide yielded an average of ≈117 lbs of lint per acre compared to the untreated control (Figure). These data show a consistent return on investment when using an at-plant insecticide to manage thrips in seedling cotton. Results from this study have also led to the removal of Cruiser from the AL Cotton IPM Guide recommendation for thrips management.
Click here to see more summaries of 2020 Cotton IPM research trials. (Graham and Smith)
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Variety Selection. Experience and data should drive the decisions on which varieties to plant in 2021. For most farms, three to five varieties represent a good portfolio mix, one that reflects some diversity, includes the tried and true as well as a couple of hopeful future stars. Yes, planting date spreads risk, but it’s also good to “not put all your eggs in one basket” in terms of variety. Experience includes what you’ve seen on your farm and the “coffee shop” reports -- though who has time for coffee shop bull sessions today? Data involve reports from field tests, small and large plot, university and company trials. You might use data to guide you towards the selection of a new variety or two you might include on a limited basis. Of course, the first choice in variety selection is herbicide tolerance. Later comes the decision to stay with 2-Bt gene varieties or make the switch to 3-Bt gene technologies. The links below provide access to AU trials.
AU OVTs, Data. Results from the small-plot official variety trials (OVTs) conducted on the Auburn University Research and Extension Centers can be accessed at the Auburn University Variety Testing Website. These small plot trials are an excellent way to compare agronomic potential of the many cotton varieties available from the various companies. We appreciate the efforts of Henry Jordan, Variety Testing Manager and the Center cooperators. (Brown)
AU On-Farm Trials, Preliminary Data. The link below is for preliminary results from the AU On-Farm Trials. https://www.aces.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Prelim-AU-Onfarm-cotton-trials-2020.pdf. These large, farmer-scale plots (1) narrow the selection of potential variety “stars” to a smaller, manageable list and (2) assess real-world performance of presumably the best offerings from each of the seed companies. (Sandlin and Brown)
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Seed Quality Matters, But… In 2020, we participated in a Beltwide study in which we collected lots of multiple varieties, some of the same variety, and compared seed company data with that of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Data included warm and cool germination, seed counts per lb, vigor ratings and fresh weights (10 days after planting), and lint yield. There were 12 entries, 7 obtained from growers, 4 from plot seed, and 1 from Texas A&M.
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Warm and cool germ data from the companies and NC lab were slightly different, but given the time and shipping involved, the results seem fairly comparable and reasonable. Seed counts per lb were very similar. Fresh weights 10 DAP were a good indicator of vigor, and there was significant separation among varieties.
Data are sorted by yield, and interestingly, the top five varieties in yield were all the same variety. Arguably, based on NCDA data and fresh weights, these were NOT the lots with the best seed quality. Yield was determined more by genetics than seed quality. Had conditions been more harsh, results may have been significantly different.
In the Lower Southeast, if we have an adequate, healthy stand 3 or 4 weeks into the season, we likely have potential for excellent yield. (Brown)
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YouTube videos
On the Farm in Alabama, Eddie McGriff
Career Reflections with Dr. Ron Smith:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxh5V7VKR_w&t=130s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRIbLweh06s&t=803s
Jenkins Farms, Ryan Jenkins, Jay, FL
Careers in Ag:
with Steve Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONRw2ikRGPM&t=7s
with Grad Student Sam Frazier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8erfauYttk
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This issue contributors:
Dr. Scott Graham, Extension Entomologist
Eddie McGriff, Regional Agronomy Agent
Guilherme Morata, Regional Agronomy Agent
Tyler Sandlin, Extension Agronomist
Dr. Ron Smith, Professor Emeritus, Extension Entomologist
Dr. Steve M. Brown, Extension Agronomist (Editor) typos and other mistakes are mine
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About the Alabama Cotton Shorts Newsletter
Alabama Cotton Shorts is a newsletter designed to keep cotton producers in the know. From planting dates to crop inputs—there are many factors to consider. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is dedicated to providing science- and research-based information, derived from field experience and observations. A team of Extension specialists are working to provide Alabama farmers with timely information throughout the growing and harvest seasons.
By subscribing to the newsletter you will receive pest updates, weed management suggestions, market updates, industry news, and other information. Specialists are making field observations and reporting their findings in hopes of helping producers make more informed choices in the field.
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