Managing for Cotton Fiber Quality as a Function of Variable Soil Properties: A Precision Agriculture Approach
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Cristine Morgan | Co-PI | cmorgan@ag.tamu.edu |
| Dr. Alex Thomasson | Co-PI | thomasson@tamu.edu |
| Dr. Ruixiu Sui | Co-PI | rsui@tamu.edu |
| Yufeng Ge | Post-Doc | yg36@tamu.edu |
| Scott Stanislav | MS Student | sstanislav@ag.tamu.edu |
| Andy Scamardo | Collaborator, Cotton Producer |
Overall Objective:
We are working to improve profitability of cotton farming by focusing on technologies to improve cotton quality and map profitability. Our approach is a site-specific focus on assessing and quantifying affects of precision management on cotton lint quality.
Current Objectives:
- Evaluate the effectiveness of variable-rate planting on cotton quality using soil electrical conductivity to define variable-rate zones.
- Use the fiber quality map to assess the value of a management strategy that optimizes cotton length uniformity and cotton quality.
- Map profitability of cotton production considering lint yield, fiber quality, loan schedule, and production cost.
Results:
The following is a profitability map developed from a dryland cotton field in Texas AgriLife Research farm. The map combines the cotton yield monitor data, fiber quality sampling data, and production cost. Different profitability zones are represented by different color codes: Blue – high gain (> 600 $/ha); Green – low gain (200 ~ 600 $/ha); White – breakeven (-200 ~ 200 $/ha); Orange – low loss (-600 ~ -200 $/ha); and Red – high loss (< -600 $/ha).
Publications:
- Ge, Y., J.A. Thomasson, R. Sui, CL.S. Morgan, S.W. Searcy, C.B. Parnell. 2008. Spatial variation of fiber quality and associated loan rate in a dryland cotton field. Precision Agriculture. Accepted.
- Stanislav, S., CL.S. Morgan, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 200X. The Effect of Soil Spatial Variability on Cotton Lint Quality & Quantity. Agron. J. In preparation
- Stanislav, S., CL.S. Morgan, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 200X. Cotton physiological response to variable soil properties in irrigated in dryland fields. Agron. J. In preparation
Funding:
- Texas Cropping Systems Initiative
- Cotton Incorporated
Presentations
- Morgan, C.L.S. S. Stanislav, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 2008. The Effect of Soil Spatial Variability on Cotton Lint Quality & Profitability. Beltwide Cotton Conference.
- Stanislav, S., C.L.S. Morgan, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 2008. Bulk Soil Electrical Conductivity in Cotton: Lessons from Dry and Wet Years. Soil Survey and Land Resources Workshop, College Station, TX. Also presented at the 2008 Texas Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy Meetings.
- Stanislav, S., C.L.S. Morgan, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 2007. Evaluating Electrical Conductivity Based Management Zones for Cotton Lint Quality. In Agronomy Abstracts. ASA, Madison, WI.
- Stanislav, S., C.L.S. Morgan, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 2007. Applying the EM38 to Manage Cotton Fields in the Brazos River Floodplain. Soil Survey and Land Resources Workshop, College Station, TX.
- Stanislav, S., C.L.S. Morgan, J.A. Thomasson, and J. Bynum. 2007. A Precision Harvest of Cotton Lint Quality to Maximize Profits. Statewide Ag. Conference, College Station, TX.
For more Information on this project contact: Dr. Cristine Morgan cmorgan@ag.tamu.edu