Cotton Seed Variety Trials Improve Yields

Challenges

• Between the 2002 and 2022 Censuses of Agriculture, the number of planted acres of cotton per farm increased by 8% for those farms that grow cotton, and the yield per acre increased by 39.9%.
• Variety selection is both more important and more difficult than ever before. A well-performing variety usually has a lifespan of 4 to 6 years, and there are many new varieties entering the market each year.
• Private industry and university official variety trial data are now evaluated for 1 to 2 years in advance of the variety’s release, instead of the 2 to 3 years that has been the historical norm.

Extension Response

To assist producers, Mississippi State University Extension Service faculty and professional staff conduct the Mississippi On-Farm Cotton Variety Trials to evaluate varieties using normal production practices over a wide variety of conditions.

• To assist cotton producers in making planting decisions, the program evaluates no more than 10 top-performing cotton seed varieties in 14 local, on-farm demonstration plots (in 2024, six demonstrations were in the Delta and eight were in the Hills).
• Planting and harvesting are performed by standard industry equipment to simulate commercial production conditions. Field sites are selected based on grower preference and elements that are required to conduct a reliable yield trial.
• Harvest measurements for both lint and seed are conducted using state-of-the-art equipment to ensure accurate producer information.
• Metrics reported to help producers make informed decisions include lint yield, lint percent, micronaire (fiber cell wall thickness and air permeability), staple length, fiber strength, fiber uniformity, and leaf grade.

Economic Impacts

• Data from the 2023 trials (for crops planted in 2024) showed that the five best cotton varieties improved yields by a 5-year average of 22 pounds of lint per acre.
• Given a 95% adoption rate, this translates to a potential increase in revenue of $7.1 million for Mississippi cotton producers; this is critical to farm sustainability in a year when corn prices and planted acreages experienced substantial declines.
• We estimate that this increase in farm revenue could result in 46 jobs earning $2.5 million, generate $4.7 million in value-added, and result in $12 million in output.
• Local taxes could increase by $17,516 for municipal governments, $43,699 for local special districts (e.g., school districts), and $35,442 for county governments.
• In addition, state taxes could increase by $241,697 and federal taxes by $615,909.

M2480-12 (10-25)

Brian Pieralisi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Plant and Soil Sciences