Measured crop performance cotton 1959

Location of North Carolina Cotton Variety Trials

1959

COOPERATORS - 1959

Scotland County

Gilchrist Farms, A. F. McMillan, Manager, Route 1, Laurinburg, N. C.

and County Agricultural Agent J. B. Caudill.

R. W. Howey, Route 1, Waxhaw, N. C. and County Agricultural Agent J. A. Marsh.

Edgecombe County

Clyde Z. McSwain, Superintendent, Upper Coastal Plain Research Station, Rocky Mount, N. C.

Research Report No. 20 December, 1959

Measured crop performance

COTTON

1959

A. J. CROWLEY, Research Instructor In Charge of Variety Testing

E. l. JONES, Agricultural Research Assistant

North Carolina Cotton Performance Trials

1959

This report presents the results of the North Carolina Official Cotton Variety Trials for the 1959 season, and a summary of the trials conducted during the past three years.

The objectives of these trials are to obtain performance information on commercially available varieties and to evaluate experimental varieties that may have possibilities of excelling those now in general production.

The Official Variety Testing program obtains such records and provides a source of unbiased and dependable information which can be used as a basis for determining which varieties are most likely to exce1l under generally prevailing conditions.

The 1959 Season. The 1959 growing season for cotton in North Carolina was very poor. Excellent conditions at planting time were followed by an excessively dry period during June. Heavy rainfall during July provided conditions for rank growth in many parts of cotton growing areas. High humidity during this period may also have resulted in poor seed set.

During August,excessively dry conditions again prevailed.

Boll weevil damage was heavy this year. This was primarily due to the fact that land was too wet for machinery operation during optimum dusting periods.

Optimum harvest time was delayed in many areas by abnormally large amounts of rain during October. This late harvest date resulted in cotton being of low quality in many areas.

Test Locations. Cotton tests were conducted at four locations in 1959, two being in the Coastal Plain Area and two in the Piedmont.

The testing program recognizes the cooperative spirit and civic-minded service rendered by the farmers who provided land and the necessary cultural practices for these trials. The program also recognizes the cooperation of the county agents who assisted in locating test sites.

Agencies Sponsoring Entries.

Bobshaw Pedigreed Seed Company, Indianola, Mississippi Coker Pedigreed Seed Company, Hartsville, South Carolina DeKalb Agricultural Association, Inc., DeKalb, Illinois N. C. Agricultural Experiment Station

-1-Management of Test Fields. Cultural practices, such as seedbed preparation, date of planting, fertilization, cultivation, and boll weevil control measures were in accord with good farming practices and were the same for all entries in a given test. Planting, thinning, picking and yield measurements were directly supervised by personnel of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.

Samples for number of bolls per pound, lint percentage, and staple length were taken two weeks prior to harvest. Samples for these determi-nations were processed in the research laboratories of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

Criteria For Evaluating Cotton Varieties. Yield of seed cotton per acre was obtained by picking four replications of each variety in Edgecombe, Scotland, and Rowan Counties. The Union County test consisted of 6 repli-cations. Plot length in Edgecombe, Scotland and Rowan Counties was 50 feet. Plot length in Union County was 100 feet. The greater number of replications and larger plot size in Union County was due to the fact that this test was mechanically harvested.

Lint percentage was determined from two samples of 75 bolls for each variety at each location.

Pounds of lint per acre was calculated using the mean lint percentage of each entry and converting the pounds of seed cotton per plot to pounds of lint per plot.

Number of bolls required to make one pound of seed cotton was determined by weighing two 75 boll samples from each location. This weight was then converted to the number of bolls per pound of seed cotton. Staple length was determined on ginned samples by licensed cotton classers of the Cotton Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A.

Performance Records. Performance data is presented for each of the 4 locations, a combined analysis of the four locations, and 3-year averages.

Small yield differences among varieties should not be overemphasized when interpreting yield differences. The L.S.D. values given in pounds of lint per acre and pounds of seed cotton per acre for each location, can be used to indicate whether yields of two varieties are significantly different. In a particular comparison of two varieties, if the higher variety has a yield difference equal to or greater than the L.S.D. value for that particular trial, its yield performance can be considered superior.

In choosing a cotton variety that is most likely to produce superior yields and quality, a number of characteristics must be considered. For example, varieties that possess little or no wilt resistance are very undesirable if the soil is infested heavily with the wilt organism.

Wilt Resistance. Dr. W. E. Cooper, Assistant Professor, Plant Pathology Department, and Dr. P. A. Miller, Associate Professor, Field Crops Department, evaluated the varieties contained in this report for rootknot and wilt resistance. This evaluation is found on the last page of the bulletin. Their assistance in evaluating these varieties is greatly appreciated.

-3-SUMMARY OF NORTH CAROLINA COTTON TRIALS Three-Year Average*

1957-1958-1959

Entries

Coker 100A (W.R.) 1959 BRS Empire

Plains

Coker 124B 1959 BRS

571 531 531 525 38.1 36.4 37.1 37.5 33 33 34 34 Bo11s/Lb of Seed Cotton 76 65 70 78

*Averages are based on eleven locations.

Summary of Four Locations

Edgecombe, Scotland, Rowan, and Union Counties 1959

Bol1s/Lb

Entries of Seed

Cotton *Coker 100A 56-1628 702 38.5 34 78

*DeKa1b 101 649 36.4 34 70

Coker 100A(W.R.) 1959 BRS 648 37.1 33 75

*DeKa1b 102 642 36.2 34 75

*Coker 100A 56-60 639 1693 37.6 33 81

Rex 631 1682 37.6 33 70

Empire 628 1696 33.0 33 64

Dixie King 621 1644 37.6 33 67

Plains 619 1691 36.1 34 69

*Coker L.R. 56-126 616 1623 38.1 33 79

Starde1 614 1591 38.5 34 86

Coker 124B 1959 BRS 607 1660 36.6 34 78

*Coker L.H. 56-123 599 1422 36.8 34 78 *Coker 100A 56-37 593 1604 37.0 34 80 Coker L.H. 60M 574 1584 36.4 34 76 *D.E.S. 8948 565 1470 38.0 34 82

*T-317 558 1600 34.7 34 70

PERFORMANCE OF COTTON ENTRIES - 1959 Edgecombe County

Bo11s/Lb

Entries of Seed

Cotton

Plains 575 1655 34.6 33 70

Rex 546 1510 36.4 33 72

*Coker 100A 56-1628 537 1459 36.5 33 74

*Coker 100A 56-37 528 1496 35.2 33 75

Starde1 508 1365 37.2 33 91

*DeKalb 101 499 1525 33.4 34 72

Empire 494 1401 34.9 33 62

*Coker 100A 56-60 494 1343 36.5 33 75

*DeKa1b 102 488 1481 32.9 34 73

Dixie King 479 1343 35.5 33 71

*Coker L.H. 56-126 470 1292 36.8 33 78

Coker 100A(W.R.) 1959 BRS 459 1343 34.2 32 78

*D.E.S. 8948 450 1212 36.5 34 79

*Coker L.H. 60M 436 1263 34.4 33 81

Coker 124B 1959 BRS 430 1249 34.1 33 78

*T-317 392 1263 31.0 33 79

*Coker L.R. 56-123 325 973 34.3 33 84

L.S.D. (.05) 82 273

*Experimental entry

Scotland County

Bol1s/Lb

Entries of Seed

Cotton

*Coker 100A 56-1628 790 36.9 34 75

Coker 100A(W.R.) 1959 BRS 770 35.8 33 74

Coker 124B 1959 BRS 691 34.7 34 74

*Coker 100A 56-60 682 36.2 33 79

*Coker L.R. 56-126 668 36.7 33 77

Rex 662 35.3 33 69

*DeKalb 102 639 34.3 34 73

Plains 624 34.3 34 76

*DeKa1b 101 616 35.3 33 72

Dixie King 610 36.3 33 64

*Coker lOOA 56-37 604 34.3 33 84

Starde1 604 36.2 34 81

*T-317 604 33.3 34 69

*Coker L.R. 56-123 587 34.7 33 74

Empire 534 33.7 33 63

*D.E.S. 8948 517 35.9 34 92

*Coker L.R. 60M 508 33.9 34 78

L.S.D. (.05) 137

*Experimenta1 entry

-5-PERFORMANCE OF COTTON ENTRIES - 1959 Union County**

Entries Bo11s/Lb

of Seed Cotton *Coker 100A 56-1628 741 _{40.7 34 79}

*DeKalb 101 726 _{38.3 35 70}

*Coker 100A 56-60 697 _{38.2 34 90} *Coker L.H. 56-126 682 39.3 34 87

Coker 100A(W.R.)1959 BRS 680 1750 38.9 34 77

Empire 675 1718 39.2 34 71

*Coker L.H. 60M 668 1670 40.0 34 76 Coker 124B 1959 BRS 665 1684 39.4 34 77

*Coker 100A 56-37 665 1680 39.7 34 74

Plains 661 1754 37.6 34 63

*DeKalb 102 632 1631 38.9 34 87

Stardel 603 1481 40.7 34 87

Dixie King 581 1478 39.3 34 71

*T-317 574 1561 36.9 35 68

*Coker L.H. 56-123 549 1420 38.7 34 82 *D.E.S. 8948 566 1387 41.0 34 87

Rex 530 1368 38.8 34 72

L.S.D. (.05) 91 230 ** Machine harvested

* Experimental entry

Rowan County

Bo11s/Lb

Entries of Seed

Cotton

Dixie King 813 39.3 33 63

Empire 807 38.8 33 58

*DeKalb 102 807 38.7 33 67

Rex 784 39.9 33 67

*DeKalb 101 755 1960 38.5 34 67

*Coker 100A 56-1628 749 1888 39.8 33 70

Stardel 741 1864 39.7 34 84

*D.E.S. 8948 726 1844 39.3 33 76

*Coker L.H. 60M 682 1786 38.3 33 68 Coker 100A(W.R.)1959 BRS 682 1699 39.6 33 70 *Coker 100A 56-60 682 1728 39.5 33 79

*T-317 662 1766 37.7 34 65

A Summary of Cotton Variety Reaction to Fusarium Wilt-rootknot Nematode and to Fusarium Wilt-sting Nematode Complexes

w.

&

%

Empire WR 60 11 25

Dixie King 44 11 22

Rex 52 6 18

T-317 71

IS

Starde1 72 27* 84**

Plains 59 14 31

D.E.S. 8948 88* 57** 85**

DeK. Exp. 101 69 24* 22

DeK. Exp. 102 87* 22* 16

Coker 100A, 1959 BRS 68 9 36*

Coker 100A, 56-60 86* 18 21

Coker 100A, 56-16-28 63 10 20

Coker 100A, 56-37 74* 15 19

Coker 124, 1959 BRS 66 23* 41**

Coker L.H. 60M 84* 29** 21

Coker L.H. 56-123 72 13 9

Coker L.H. 56-126 77* 13 34

* Sig. dif. _{from entry with lowest value (underscored) at 0.5 level.}

** Sig. dif. from entry with lowest value (underscored) at 0.1 level.