production

• SPONSORED CONTENT • Fifth-generation farmer Shane Isbell operates Isbell Farms in Colbert County, Alabama, in partnership with his father, Neal. Shane’s son, Tyler, also works full time in the operation. “My grandfather, Hollis Isbell, is a visionary who is responsible for originally growing the farm,” Shane says. “He still comes out here, so we have four active generations involved.” The ... Read More »

• SPONSORED CONTENT • Jamey Duesterhaus has grown PhytoGen® cottonseed since 2017 on irrigated and dryland acres near Littlefield in the Texas Panhandle. Following the 2016 season, he says he was looking for varieties to help control the resistant weed species in his fields. The PhytoGen Breeding Traits™ that would protect his cotton from root-knot nematodes and verticillium wilt also piqued ... Read More »

• SPONSORED CONTENT • PhytoGen® brand varieties contain PhytoGen Breeding Traits™ that offer built-in protection against some of the most common yield-robbing pests and diseases found in cotton. All PhytoGen® W3FE varieties are resistant to bacterial blight. Additional protection from root-knot nematodes and verticillium wilt is available in select Upland varieties. All PhytoGen Pima varieties provide tolerance to Fusarium (FOV) Race ... Read More »

• SPONSORED CONTENT • PhytoGen® brand varieties highlight a shared relationship between yield potential and fiber quality. The goal of this prevailing pattern is a positive return on investment for cotton farmers. PhytoGen breeders take pride in bringing top-of-the-line Pima, Acala and Upland cottonseeds to the marketplace. This thriving legacy continues to grow more robust from year to year. Improved Yield ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released its August acreage report recently showing updated acreage from 14 states that were not finished planting during the agency’s initial report June 28. The weather-related delays affected cotton planting in Arkansas. Overall, NASS estimates cotton production will be up 23% nationwide compared to 2018. All cotton production is forecast at ... Read More »

Leaf color is determined by pigment content and concentration. Pigments commonly present in cotton leaves include chlorophylls, carotenoids, tannins and anthocyanins. Differences in pigment properties give each pigment color characteristics; for example, chlorophylls a and b absorb light in the blue and red regions while reflecting light in the green. Similarly, carotenoids are visually associated with yellows and reds, tannins with browns, and anthocyanins with reds and purples. The content and concentration of these pigments can additionally provide insight into the plant’s current or past growing conditions. For instance, reddening of a leaf can indicate the plant has experienced abiotic or biotic stress such as excessive radiation (Fig. 1) or a nitrogen (N) deficiency (Fig. 2). Since changes in pigments within the plant also changes the color of the leaf, visual observations of the canopy collected through the growing season can be used to gauge plant health. In the case of a reduction of chlorophyll due to an N deficiency, a reduction in chlorophyll is directly associated with a shift from dark green to light green leaf color. Whether used subconsciously or consciously, pigment content and concentration has been used for hundreds of years to diagnose stresses, including nutrient deficiencies, disease, pest damage, and water deficits/excesses. Read More »

The forecast of rains for Texas this week will be music to many farmers and ranchers ears, but the coming stormy weather is not the main El Niño event, according to a climatologist. It’s more like a prelude, said Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, state climatologist and Regents Professor at Texas A&M University, College Station. Texas is sure to get some rainfall, Nielsen-Gammon said. There’s an upper-level disturbance moving into the southwest, and a tropical cyclone in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico should feed some moisture into the state. Though El Niño may be contributing to the storms, it’s not the beginning of the main activity: the near-normal to wetter-than-normal fall and winter that climatologists are expecting. “Everything is impacted by El Niño in some way or another,” he said. “Some aspects of this weather pattern are consistent with what we expect with an El Niño. We have a fairly active subtropical jet stream developing, which is what brings the wet weather to Texas in the wintertime. The tropical cyclone activity over the eastern Pacific is also characteristic of El Niño.”But the coming wet weather doesn’t mean things have been normal so far, he said. At least 22 counties in Texas have received record low rainfall in the past 90 days. Rainfall the third week in October may help, but it is only expected to average about 2 inches statewide, which may not be enough to end the drought many parts of the state are experiencing. Read More »