Fiber Quality Concerns of Georgia Cotton

Over the past nine years, Georgia has experienced a significant decline in reputation of the fiber quality of cotton produced in the state. Buyers ranked Georgia cotton as the least preferred in the U.S. Cotton Belt in 2003-04. UGA scientists have invested considerable resources towards the issue of cotton fiber quality. Some efforts are long term, others are more immediate. Several Cotton Team members have interacted with the Georgia Cotton Commission, Southeastern Ginners, Southern Cotton Growers, the USDA Cotton Quality Research Station at Clemson, Cotton Incorporated, and the National Cotton Council to consider the nature and scope of the problem and possible solutions. Scientists conceived the idea of a scaled down but fully equipped micro gin to employ commercial-like effects to small plot samples. This gin could more accurately measure the effects of experimental treatments such as cultivar, production management, pest control, fertility, etc., on fiber quality. The first cotton samples were run in the UGA Cotton Micro-Gin in the summer of 2004 and multiple experiments from the 2005 crop will be ginned at the facility. It is anticipated that this world class facility will be a valuable research tool for addressing current and future fiber quality issues across the Southeast. In cotton breeding, emphasis has shifted from the development of commercial cultivars towards that of releasing high yielding germplasm and nematode tolerant lines with superior fiber quality. In pest management, a researcher has investigated the potential effects of aggressive or rescue applications of glyphosate in Roundup Ready cotton. The research shows no influence on fiber quality even when yields were reduced by glyphosate. Another scientist has extensively explored the management of stink bugs and has demonstrated a strong correlation between not only stink bug control and yield but also bug damage and fiber quality. This research provides strong evidence that some of the problems associated with the quality of the 2003 crop are directly linked to stink bug problems. Field experiments also link nematode damage with reduced fiber quality and point to the need to develop nematode tolerant lines and better nematode management tools. Because of high technology and seed costs associated with transgenic varieties, growers have incentive to plant reduced seeding rates. Physiologists at UGA have explored the relationship of low stand density and fiber quality, and while there was a slight effect on micronaire (fiber density), overall minimal stands had little to no impact on overall fiber parameters. The collective effort of partners such as the Georgia Cotton Commission, its professional textile consultant, the USDA Cotton Quality Research Station in Clemson, Cotton Incorporated, and the UGA Cotton Team determined that increased short fiber content is the probable source of reduced spinning efficiency associated with cotton from Georgia. Georgia cotton typically averages a full point below cotton produced in the MidSouth. The message has been delivered to producers and others through a variety of media and means. Georgia producers and ginners are now well aware that quality is an issue of intense importance.