The information contained in this booklet was assembled for distribution at the 1999 Cotton Field Day (September 21) at the Shafter Research & Extension Center. The following items are included for your information:
1998 was a year which brought many changes in the variety situation in the CA cotton industry. Many o f the management recommendations currently in place for CA Upland cotton are based upon years of research on varieties such as SJ-2, GC-510 and Maxxa. The introduction of some potentially widely-different varieties which were developed in environments outside of CA in most cases represents a real challenge in terms o f identifying the most suitable management practices for best results under SJV conditions. These “newly-available” varieties that will come into CA will have the name designation “CA Upland”…
Blackeyes are a well-adapted and generally profitable rotation crop for many cotton growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Nematode resistant blackeye varieties help reduce soil levels of Meloidogyne incognita root-knot nematodes and increase soil fertility for the benefit of succeeding cotton crops. Improved varieties are needed for the California blackeye industry to remain competitive with other producing areas such as the High Plains of Texas…
1998 Studies
The objectives of these studies with Pima are to evaluate approved varieties under different environmental conditions and management. The studies are part of a regional Beltwide Pima variety evaluation that includes Texas, New New Mexico, Arizona and California, and are supported in part through the California Crop Improvement Association. In addition to five grower fields, two UCCE Research Center test locations were used in the 1998 trials, the West Side and Shafter Research and Extension Centers of the University of California. The West Side location is in…
1998 Studies
Eleven approved Acala varieties were planted in tests in 1998. Varieties included the standard, Maxxa, plus Phytogen-33, SJ-2, GC-510, Royale, DPL-6204, GC-535, C-141, GTO Maxxa, GC-500 and DP-6211. Tests were located in each ofthe six San Joaquin Valley cotton-producing counties, plus the Shafter and West Side Research and Extension Centers of the University of CA. Tests in grower fields were large scale, with individual entries grown in 6 to 8 row width plots averaging 1300 feet or more in row length. All studies had 4 replications in a randomized complete block design. Studies at West Side and Shafter locations were smaller, with plots 4 rows in width by 300 feet length…
The unprecedented weather conditions of 1998 dominated the season. With abnormally cold temperatures both in the spring and in the fall, the most abbreviated growing season ever experienced took a heavy toll on production. Even with a full month delay in harvest, many bolls failed to open – a result of too few heat units to mature the late set. In these tests average yields of all carry-over entries were more than a bale an acre below that of the same variety the year before. In general, quality was not detrimentally affected, but because of the exceptionally adverse conditions varietal relationships, especially as it relates to yield, are not necessarily what might be expected in a more normal year…
Cotton root-knot nematode is the most important nematode pest to cotton with losses averaging 33,360 bales/year during the period 1989 through 1998. This pest is a problem primarily in sandy and sandy-loam soils, but can be found in loamy soils.
The emphasis on reducing costs and improving profitability is a driving factor for research focused on finding alternative management approaches to fumigants and other nematicides. In addition, interest by society and regulators in seeking reduced risk approaches to pest management is driving the search for alternative nematode…
Introduction:
Integrated pest management is an accepted tool in dealing with cotton pests. Insecticidal control of the key cotton arthropod pests in California is a major component ofour cotton IPM programs. Are insecticides the only answer and a long-term solution? No, for several reasons. First, insecticides must be compatible with biological control; this natural control is very important in California cotton. Studies should be conducted…
The response o f Acala cotton in California to a range o f applied nitrogen treatments are under investigation in a multi-year, multi-site experiment. Goals of the experiment are to identify crop growth and yield responses to applied nitrogen and to provide information to better assess the utility of soil residual N estimates in improving fertilizer management. Results obtainedd uring the first three years o f this project have shown positive responses to increases in applied N across the 50 to 200 lbs N/acre range…
The cotton aphid is found in a variety of habitats throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Management of this insect will in all likelihood require the integration of every management tactic available. In an attempt to enhance one management tactic, biological control, a multi- agency cooperative project was established in 1996. The long-term objective of this project is to build a natural enemy complex for the cotton aphid using natural enemies not currently found in California. This complex should complement…