Improving Yield Stability Using Variety Mixtures in North Carolina: First Year Results

Variety selection continues to be one of the most important decisions a grower can make that impacts profitability.  Historically, yield potential has driven variety decisions, among other criteria for which to select varieties.  Due to the large variability of soil types in North Carolina as well as wide variation in seasonal rainfall, yield stability across a broad range of environments has become an important criteria for selecting varieties.  As seen in prior years' variety trial results, some varieties portray a higher degree of yield stability across environments than others, and some varieties are consistent performers only in certain types of environments.  There is no variety that wins all trials, even among those with the highest degree of yield stability.  For these reasons, the objective of this research was to determine if seed mixtures of top-performing varieties could improve yield stability even further, regardless of soil type or environmental conditions.  Furthermore, the impacts on fiber quality were also investigated