Production

• By Ben Faber • A new species of gigantic tumbleweed once predicted to go extinct is not only here to stay — it’s likely to expand its territory. The species, Salsola ryanii, is significantly larger than either of its parent plants, which can grow up to 6 feet tall. A new study from the University of California, Riverside, supports ... Read More »

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to ultra-low gossypol cottonseed — known as ULGCS — to be used as human food and in animal feed, something Texas A&M AgriLife researchers have been working on for nearly 25 years. Dr. Keerti Rathore, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant biotechnologist in the Texas A&M Institute for Plant Genomics ... Read More »

Widespread drought continues in Alabama, as nearly 84% of the state is in severe drought. In fact, 55% of the state’s soil and subsoil moisture is reported to be “very short.” Even with these conditions, producers are still hard at work bringing in this year’s crop. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 96% of the corn planted in Alabama ... Read More »

Parts of Mississippi’s landscape are turning white, but unlike some northern areas, this coloration is caused by cotton bolls opening for harvest, not snow accumulation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that nearly a quarter of Mississippi’s cotton crop had been harvested by Sept. 29. To date, 45% of the crop is rated in good condition and 39% fair. Cotton ... Read More »

• By Seshadri Ramkumar • Consistency in quality and contamination-free cotton are much sought after by global cotton mills. Free of plastic contamination, objective quality evaluation and consistency are the characteristics that provide a premium for cotton, according to global experts who are touring the United States as part of Cotton Council International-sponsored program. About 40 people representing 16 countries, ... Read More »

Kochia, a kind of tumbleweed, has long been associated with the Texas High Plains, but its abundance is starting to alarm Texas A&M AgriLife officials as regional producers are experiencing challenges controlling the weed as herbicide resistance is mounting. Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan, Texas A&M AgriLife Research weed scientist in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station, ... Read More »

Multidisciplinary Teams From Several Cotton States Work To Learn More About Cotton Leaf Roll Dwarf Virus. • By Amanda Huber, Southeast Editor • Teams of cotton researchers throughout the Cotton Belt are working diligently to learn more about the new disease that has garnered everyone’s attention. Although it was possibly in growers’ fields a year or two prior, researchers identified ... Read More »