Eleven cotton varieties will be replicated at for on-farm locations. The plots will be large and managed by the farmer. They will be harvested this fall for yield and lint samples will be collected for fiber quality analyses.

Investigator will direct establishment and conduct of trial described in protocol. Investigator will direct collection and reporting of data as outlined in protocol and handle any disposition of trial materials necessary.

Down the row production costs have increased tremendously with increased trait packages, seed treatments and in-furrow treatments. Cotton can at least partially compensate for skip rows. We have evaluated skip row at various times over the years. We have seen seed cost increase since then and there are new seed delivered technologies on the horizon that might favor some type of skip row approach. Preliminary research has shown that the cost savings might negate the potential loss in yield potential. There are growers in some cotton growing areas who are planting a 1 and 1 skip, which we have never tested.

One of the most critical problems facing growers in cotton production is achieving acceptable stands. Poor stands can result in replanting that not only costs producers��� money but often leads to reduced yield potential. Better understanding of seed quality can help growers reduce the chance of replanting or failed stands. In the past couple of years we have looked at cool germination and warm germination as predictors of successful stand establishment. We have found these factors explain no more than 60 percent of the variation observed in stand establishment. Often they explain much less of the variation. Preliminary work suggests that other factors could be used to better quantify seed quality and the likelihood of achieving a successful stand. One of these factors is oil content. The goal of this research is to look at various factors that predict the ability of cotton seed to germinate.

One of the most critical problems facing growers in cotton production is achieving acceptable stands. Poor stands can result in replanting that not only costs producers��� money but often leads to reduced yield potential. Better understanding of seed quality can help growers reduce the chance of replanting or failed stands. Growers in North Carolina often struggle with achieving optimum cotton stands, many times at least partially due to poor seed quality. Reviewing the random cotton seed samples taken over the last ten years we have seen a reduction in quality of cotton planting seed, especially in some years. This research will look at comparing warm and cool germination values with cotton seed vigor index that utilizes both tests. Having a better idea of the true seed quality will allow growers to better assign seed lots to planting conditions.

Increasing N use efficiency (NUE) is important to grower profitability and long-term sustainability. Microbial products are currently being promoted to enhance N use efficiency in cotton. However, very little unbiased information is available on these products being marketed to growers. To determine if the microbial products increase NUE, a N rate response study is needed. This N rate response treatments match the N-Refinement project that was conducted in 2020-2022. This is an opportunity to dovetail these two research projects together and build more unbiased and timely research results for cotton growers. Deliverables: Microbial portion: Unbiased results on the performance of various microbial products will be created from across the Cotton Belt. This information will be relayed to growers through various Extension venues and will help growers assess the value of these products for their farm. N-Refinement portion: Additional research sites for the N rate response will provide additional data on soil residual N levels and opportunities to credit both soil ammonium and nitrates. Additionally, this will allow better estimates of mineralization under different cropping systems. Ultimately, this research will allow the refinement of N recommendations in cotton.

One of the most critical problems facing growers in cotton production is achieving acceptable stands. Two of the main factors that can contribute to poor stands are pre-emerge herbicide injury and poor seed quality. Identifying interactions between the two could help growers match seed quality with pre-emerge herbicide programs. The goal of this project is to look at the interaction of herbicide injury on cotton stands with seed quality.

Investigator will direct establishment and conduct of trial described in protocol. Investigator will direct collection and reporting of data as outlined in protocol and handle any disposition of trial materials necessary.

Investigator will direct establishment and conduct of trial described in protocol. Investigator will direct collection and reporting of data as outlined in protocol and handle any disposition of trial materials necessary.

This study will compare a small seeded variety with a large seeded variety at plant 30,000, 45,000 and 55,000 plants per acre. One location will also include two seeding depths to look at the influence of seed size.