Evaluation of Cotton Varieties on-Farm in Florida

Despite a downward trend in acreage since Hurricane Michael in 2018, cotton remains an important crop for Florida farmers. The bulk of its 95,000 acres grown in 2020 is linked to six counties in the central and western Panhandle. The dominant cropping system in this region is a two-year peanut/cotton rotation, although some growers incorporate soybean and corn as well. Cotton trials comprised of different technologies and cultivars have been utilized around northwest Florida for multiple years, where producers partner with extension agents to examine variety performance using their farm program. Objectives: Assess variety performance across a broad range of cultivars to select the best performers for our region. Methods: Annually, 10-20 varieties are planted in three areas across the (western, central, and eastern) Panhandle to determine the top performers across dryland and irrigated farms. These on-farm trials are managed by the producers using their standard cotton program (fertility, irrigation, insect, disease, and growth regulator strategies). Each location has one to four field length replications and vary based on field size. At harvest, fields weights are taken for each rep, as well as an overall plot sample that is sent to Macon, Georgia to be ginned and classed. Results: These on-farm trials provide firsthand experience with many varieties to both the producers and agents involved and have been key to highlighting performance differences between them. Data is distributed through word of mouth, factsheets, and production meetings. Conclusions: The wide range of soil types and differences in stress levels accompanied by dryland and irrigated cotton production are more easily distinguished across varieties through the evaluation of multiple locations. Variety performance varies year to year across farms and data collected through these field trials are important for education producers in the region.