Yield and Quality
Cotton research among programs highlighted at field day; Soybean update reports no rust found in Arkansas
Aug. 29, 2006Contact Information:
Claude Kennedy, resident director, Lon Mann Cotton Research Station
870-295-2839 | ckennedy@uaex.edu
Fred Bourland, resident director, Northeast Research and Extension Center
870-526-2199 | fbourland@uaex.edu
By Fred Miller, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
479-575-5647 / fmiller@uark.edu
Dr. Fred Bourland, cotton breeder, shows test plots for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture cotton variety testing program during a field day at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station.
Dr. Cliff Coker, Extension plant pathologist, shows foliar diseases of soybeans that can be mistaken for Asian soybean rust to visitors to a field day at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station at Marianna. Coker said no soybean rust had been detected in Arkansas as of August 2006.
Marianna, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture cotton variety testing program gives producers unbiased information to help them choose the varieties that will provide top yields and quality, said Fred Bourland, cotton breeder and director of the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser.
The variety testing program was among the research and extension programs presented to more than 130 visitors during a field day Aug. 24 at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station.
A soybean update, also presented at the field day, reported that Asian soybean rust has not been found in the state this year.
Commercial cotton varieties and public and private breeding lines are evaluated in test plots in multiple locations to test yields and quality under Arkansas’ varying soils and growing conditions, Bourland said.
“We measure and compare such data as plant height, percentage of open bolls, lint yield, fiber quality and other traits that are important information to help producers choose the most productive varieties for their fields,” Bourland said.
A new computer program that will allow producers to compare cotton varieties tested in 30 locations across five states will be available this fall, Bourland said.
The program, funded by Cotton Incorporated, is called COTVAR, Bourland said. The program will be available through the cooperative extension service and will simplify variety selection by combining weighted values of four quality measurements into a single grade called a quality score, or “Q-score.”
The Q-score includes micronaire length (a measure of fiber coarseness), fiber length, uniformity of length, and fiber strength. Bourland said these qualities have become more important for cotton producers because their markets have become international and many foreign mills have stricter requirements for these properties.
“Producers will be able to compare varieties suitable for their growing conditions and make selections based on the quality score,” Bourland said.
He added that the scoring method will also be useful in his breeding program for evaluating genetic lines for desirable traits.
The field day also featured research and extension programs for soybeans, corn, grain sorghum and rice, said Claude Kennedy, resident director of the Lon Mann station.
Cliff Coker, extension plant pathologist, reported that Arkansas has been spared the threat of Asian soybean rust so far this year, thanks largely to the weather.
“Prevailing north winds have helped keep soybean rust spores out of Arkansas in 2006,” Coker said. “On top of that, the weather has been hot and dry, which inhibits fungal diseases.”
Even if rust came into the state today, Coker said, it would be a month before it really showed up. By that time, a large percentage of the state’s soybean crop would be harvested.