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March, 2007
By Charles Johnson
Reprinted with authorization from the Furrow Magazine, a
John Deere publication
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The hybrid
cotton's strong agronomic point
is its vigorous growth. |
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For years, researchers teased us
with talk of hybrid cotton, promising higher yields and working
the same wonders hybrids did for corn growers.
But hybrid cotton proved difficult
indeed to commercialize. Hybrid seed production was
uneconomical. It seemed all that greenhouse and plot talk about
hybrid cotton might remain just that—hypothetical conjecture.
It all changed in 2001 when some
California growers began planting hybrid cotton sold by
Hazera Genetics, an
Israeli-owned company.
That first hybrid cotton, named
HA-195 by Hazera, is interspecific, part Pima and part Acala. It
yields close to Acala varieties but has fiber characteristics
more like Pima. No one claims that it is spinning California’s
cotton industry on its ear, but the hybrid certainly draws its
share of attention.
“It yields good enough to be a
good fit for a number of growers. As with any variety spaced in
that in-between area, there are some negatives,” says Bob
Hutmacher, a California Extension cotton specialist.
Growers need to find willing buyers. “It’s not purely like
either Pimas or the better Acalas,” he says. “The main
difference is fiber strength. It’s generally better fiber
strength than the Acalas but the approved Pimas
certainly have higher strength, both in fiber and yarn.”
Vigorous
The hybrid’s real strength is its
vigor. It’ll grow on marginal ground where other cottons
struggle.
“Our inputs go down with it. We
use one less irrigation and cut our fertilizer costs,” says Todd
Allen, who farms with his father, Buzz, and brother, Joel, at
Firebaugh. “It is tricky to grow, though. We have to be real
careful with water. We’re learning to manage that growth with
Pix growth regulator and by using a pressure bomb to test stress
in the plant.
“This was our second year with
it,” he adds. “We’re learning how to handle it. We’re growing it
on high-salt soil, a tough piece of dirt. It’s exciting.”
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The hybrid’s
combination of yield and quality on saline soil
excites Johnny Andrews. “I haven’t seen this
much interest in a cotton variety since Roundup
Ready varieties came out,” he says. |
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At Dos Palos, Johnny and Jonathan
Andrews, a father-son team, had struggled to grow cotton on
heavy, high-salt soil. They decided to give the hybrid a try and
liked what they saw.
“I think the hybrid cotton is
going to keep people farming on this type of soil in business,”
Johnny says. “I also think we’re going to see more and more
demand for it from mills.”
With the hybrid priced a little
under Pima but out-yielding Acala on his place, its future could
be bright and tantalizing to growers, Johnny says. “If it
produces well and puts more money in your hand, acreage around
here could quadruple.”
However, growers in the northern
part of the Central Valley, where the Andrews’ farm, must be
cautious not to get backed into a corner with a late maturing
cotton, Hutmacher warns. And HA-195 can be just that.
Hazera Genetics is now marketing HA-175, an
earlier-maturing, 150-day hybrid. “That northern area is a great
niche for it,” says Barry Younkin, Hazera’s cotton development
manager based in Sanger, California. “Growers can rotate out of
tomatoes or other crops into cotton. It’s done well in that cool
area. It doesn’t yield as high as HA-195, but up north at least
you can get cotton.”
Hybrid cotton in California, from
an Israeli company with seed production in China. It’s a new
world, for sure.
Original article in PDF format:
http://www.seedquest.com/News/releases/2007/pdf/18709.pdf
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