Fiber Quality results for the 2016 North Carolina On-Farm Cotton Variety Evaluation Program are in!! In addition to yield, fiber quality is an important component to the value and marketability of cotton in our state, and should be considered when selecting varieties. The table in the link below illustrates the average fiber quality values for each variety across all on-farm trials in 2016.
Parameters include lint percentage, micronaire, fiber length, fiber strength, length uniformity, color grade, and leaf grade. Also listed is the percentage of trials in which a variety resulted in penalties for high micronaire, short fiber length, low fiber strength, and low fiber uniformity.
In this table, varieties are ranked in descending order according to lint percentage. During the 2016 season, many of the varieties evaluated resulted in excellent fiber quality, however there were clear differences in fiber quality among these varieties across environments.
It is important to note that the environment and season can greatly influence fiber quality, more-so than genetics in some years. For example, there was a clear environmental effect on micronaire observed in 2015 (In some trials, all varieties resulted in high micronaire while in other trials, all varieties had optimal micronaire).
Click Table To Enlarge View
The environmental effects were not as strong in 2016, therefore growers should understand that varieties with tendencies for poor quality in some parameters, may not necessarily result in poor quality, and vice versa. Variety decisions are largely made based on yield potential and stability. However, it is important to evaluate a variety’s fiber characteristics to avoid discounts for low quality when possible, and perhaps secure a premium for high lint quality.
Yield and fiber quality results from the NCSU OVT program will be available very soon on this site, so please stay tuned for those results!! Additionally, the North Carolina Cotton Variety Performance Calculator will soon be populated with 2016 performance data. We strongly encourage growers to closely observe data from both the on-farm program and OVT when making cotton variety decisions.
As mentioned in the previous articles, results from the on-farm program along with OVT will be discussed in much greater detail during the upcoming winter meetings, so be sure to attend one near you. Meeting dates will soon be available on the North Carolina State University Cotton Portal Website.
Also, we want to again reiterate our appreciation to the North Carolina Cotton Producers Association, North Carolina DA&CS, North Carolina State University, Cotton Incorporated, and Seed Companies for their efforts and support of this program for the benefit of all North Carolina cotton growers, as well the diligence and hard work that our county agents, consultants, and cooperating growers put into this program during 2016.
This program was a huge success again in 2016 due to the efforts of all involved and we look forward to another year of this program in 2017!!
