Update on Cotton and Corn Variety Trials in North Florida

 

Sudeep Sidhu, Assistant Professor-Agronomy, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) – Quincy

Variety evaluation is one of the important tools used to assist North Florida growers in choosing the best varieties for their farms. Generally, varieties are evaluated at several locations in the region to identify varieties that not only have consistent performance at multiple locations in a year but also over multiple years.  Details for cotton and corn variety trials are shared below. We will be hosting a field day at NFREC-Quincy on July 22nd to showcase corn and cotton variety evaluation. Details regarding field day timing will be shared in a subsequent announcement.

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Corn

The 2024 irrigated corn variety evaluation is underway at two locations: North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC)-Suwanee Valley in Live Oak, Florida and NFREC-Quincy, Florida. Corn was planted on April 10th and 11th in Quincy, and on April 11th in Live Oak. In Quincy, 30 corn varieties are being evaluated. Four rows (36-inch row spacing) of each variety are planted in 20 feet long small plots, replicated 4 times. In Live Oak, 18 varieties are being evaluated. Four rows of each variety (30-inch row spacing) were planted in long plots under a pivot, replicated 4 times.  The list of varieties being evaluated at each location is listed in table 1.

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Cotton

The 2024 cotton variety evaluation program consists of irrigated and non-irrigated small plot replicated trials at NFREC-Quincy and NFREC-SV and on-farm long strip trials in Jackson and Jefferson Counties on dryland (non-irrigated) fields. A total of 26 varieties/experimental lines are being evaluated in small plot replicated trials at both locations, planted on 36-inch rows. In Quincy, the irrigated cotton trial was planted on April 30th and non-irrigated trial was planted on May 1st. As we know, mother nature has pushed cotton and peanut planting behind schedule in our region. We just finished planting small plot replicated cotton variety trial in Live Oak on May 30th  (irrigated) and May 31st  (non-irrigated). The on-farm trial at Jefferson County was planted on May 30th (non-irrigated), and the one in Jackson County was planted June 5th with 10 varieties.  The list of varieties and experimental lines for small plot trials are listed in table 2.

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