Cotton

Texas cotton farmers adjusting in wake of court ruling on dicamba

23Jun

ByL Kay Ledbetter

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service stands ready to advise producers on agronomic alternatives and options in the wake of a June 3 ruling from the U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to immediately vacate the registrations of three dicamba products, Xtendimax, FeXapan and Engenia.

Cotton producers across the nation are having to rethink their management after a recent court ruling on dicamba herbicide products. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Approximately 80% of the state’s cotton has been planted, and an estimated 60-80% is XtendFlex cotton – a dicamba-tolerant cotton that would have allowed the application of available registered dicamba herbicide products for weed control.

Producers are working to determine their next moves, which are somewhat complicated by the different actions being taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the Texas Department of Agriculture, TDA, as well as those pesticide registrants involved in the litigation.

Dan Hale, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension associate director, College Station, suggests producers comply with the EPA existing stocks provisions by making allowable applications of products according to the specific product labels.

AgriLife Extension cotton specialists and county agents also suggest producers consider selecting alternative seed options with other herbicide technologies such as 2,4-D, if they have not planted their 2020 cotton crops.

Background

In 2016, EPA granted conditional, two-year registrations for these three products. When this conditional registration was set to expire in late 2018, EPA approved another conditional two-year registration for the products, with additional restrictions on use, said Scott Nolte, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state weed specialist.

In addition to being federally restricted-use pesticides, these dicamba products were “state-limited-use” pesticides in Texas, requiring specific applicator training annually prior to use, Nolte said. AgriLife Extension has offered this training to more than 7,000 producers in 2018, 4,500 in 2019 and 3,200 this year.

Status of the cotton crop across Texas

Reports from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomists from around the state provided these estimates:

In the South Plains, an estimated 80% of the producers use the dicamba technology and at least 80% of that seed is already in the ground, said Murilo Maeda, Ph.D., Lubbock.
In the Coastal Bend region, roughly 50% of the already-planted cotton crop is using those technologies, said Josh McGinty, Ph.D., Corpus Christi.
In West Central Texas, approximately 60% of the cotton has been planted, with primarily dryland left to plant. About 70% of the producers utilize these technologies, and have already purchased seed, fungicide and some herbicides, said Reagan Noland, Ph.D., San Angelo.
In the Rolling Plains region, about 80% of the producers incorporated the technology into this year’s crop, which is 70% planted, said Emi Kimura, Ph.D., Vernon.
In the High Plains, all cotton acres are planted, as the last date to plant was May 31, and at least 50% or more of the producers use these technologies, said Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., Amarillo.

Moving forward without the dicamba technologies

So, what are cotton producers to do now? They have a few options.

Nolte and Peter Dotray, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research weed scientist, Lubbock, suggest affected producers consider some alternative weed control options to address management problems considering this new development.

Preplant and at-plant soil residual herbicides were used by most growers, and it will be critical to use additional soil residual herbicides such as Dual, Warrant and Outlook early or mid- postemergence, regardless of what postemergence herbicide is used, they said.

“Based on the EPA’s order, we expect growers to continue to rely on dicamba until July 31,” Dotray said. “When dicamba is limited or not available, glyphosate and/or glufosinate may be used at one or both of the postemergence application timings. We may see more cultivation and hooded sprayers used to manage weeds.”

Producers can access the latest version of the AgriLife Extension cotton weed management guide for more information.

Additionally, Syngenta’s Tavium Plus Vapor Grip, which was registered separately in 2019, was not included in this litigation. Its registration, which allows application to Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans and Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton, remains in place. It has label restrictions that must be followed. In cotton, a single postemergence application may be made until the 6-leaf cotton stage or 60 days after planting, whichever comes first.

Federal and state reactions to court ruling

While the court ruling was made on June 3 and effective on that date, on June 8, the EPA issued an order providing guidance on the sale, distribution and use of existing stocks of the three affected dicamba products. The EPA order stated in part:

Distribution or sale by any person is generally prohibited except for ensuring proper disposal or return to the registrant. Keep in mind that “distribution” is broadly defined as including “distributing, selling, offering for sale, holding for sale, shipping, holding for shipment, delivering for shipment, or receiving and (having so received) delivering or offering to deliver, or releasing for shipment to any person in any state.”
Commercial applicators may distribute or sell existing stocks that are in their possession. Existing stocks are defined as the products “which were packaged, labeled, and released for shipment prior to the time of the order on June 3, 2020.”
Growers may use any existing stocks, as defined above, consistent with the product’s previously approved label and may not continue after July 31.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has said he will formally request a Section 18 exemption from the EPA to allow the continued use of dicamba in Texas under emergency conditions.

The Texas cotton crop is already growing or going in the ground right now, and “our cotton growers must have certainty,” Miller said.

An Emergency Exemption under Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, FIFRA, would authorize EPA to allow limited use of the pesticide in defined geographic areas for a finite period once the EPA confirms that the situation meets the statutory definition of an “emergency condition.”

McKnight begins AgriLife Extension statewide cotton specialist duties

8May

By: Kay Ledbetter

Ben McKnight’s acceptance of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service statewide cotton specialist position is a return to familiar territory. McKnight started April 1 in the Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at College Station.

Larry Redmon, Ph.D., associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader for the department, said the Soil and Crop Sciences Extension Unit was excited to have McKnight fill the cotton specialist position in College Station.

Ben McKnight, Ph.D., is the new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service statewide cotton specialist. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

“Ben is certainly no stranger to Texas having been born and raised in East Texas, or to Texas A&M as he obtained his master’s here in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department. We look forward to Ben developing a strong state-wide cotton program and presence.”
Experiences leading to cotton position

McKnight, Ph.D., worked for both Texas A&M AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension while earning degrees at Texas A&M. He has spent the past few years working as a weed scientist with Louisiana State University, where he earned his doctorate.

During his postdoctoral research and as a research associate at LSU Agricultural Center, McKnight conducted rice field trials at research and grower locations. As a graduate research assistant, he worked in the Rice Weed Management Program conducting and managing field and glasshouse trials.

During his time with AgriLife Research, he assisted the Rice Weed Management research program with applying herbicide treatments, collecting and organizing data and harvesting research plots.

McKnight said his transition back to Texas and into cotton should be smooth because he is driven by solving problems as an agronomist.

“There are quite a few similarities between cotton and rice regarding the intensity of management,” he said. “Both require extensive management to produce a successful crop. I am looking forward to drawing from my past experiences working in rice management in this new position. Accepting this position is also a homecoming for me. As a Texas native, I am very familiar with the passion that our growers and industry have for cotton production.”
Arriving during a pandemic

McKnight said initially it will be a challenge to stay flexible during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue business as usual.

“However, our agency is employing innovative solutions in order to continue carrying out our mission during this unprecedented time,” he said. “We have some exceptional leadership and they’ve been in close contact throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with information as it evolves. I anticipate there will be an impact on upcoming grower meetings, field days and face-to-face meetings, but I am confident we will continue to provide the best outreach to our clientele.”

He said it appears producers are going about business as usual and crops are still being planted, and distributors, supply stores and other agriculture-related businesses are still open.

“One issue I expect producers to face this year is changes in commodity prices,” McKnight said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on our cotton markets, but I think it still might be too early to tell what kind of overall impact it is going to have on commodity prices.”
Planning for future cotton research

From a field research standpoint, the plan is to continue evaluating many different research topics of interest to cotton production in the state, he said.

“One of the most important roles in this position is variety testing and getting the results of variety evaluations into the hands of our growers,” McKnight said. “Our program will continue to be very active in variety evaluation so our growers will have the information they need for on-farm decision making.”

He said some of the applied research efforts of his team will involve evaluation of fertility programs across the state, control of volunteer cotton plants and stalk destruction, just to highlight a few. Several of these research topics will be collaborative efforts with many other researchers, AgriLife Extension specialists and county agents.

“Some of my longer-term research interests include evaluating how various management decisions translate into profitability for our growers,” McKnight said. “Unfortunately, the highest yield doesn’t always translate into the highest level of profitability, and profitability is what keeps our growers in business.

“I am very passionate about helping growers develop management practices that increase their profitability. Our agency has many outstanding agricultural economists. I look forward to working closely with them to identify what kind of region-specific management decisions can enhance grower profitability.”
Outreach and education

McKnight said the COVID-19 pandemic will immediately impact his initial plans for outreach and education programming.

“I was looking forward to personally meeting our stakeholders across the state soon after starting in this position,” he said. “As of right now, I’m not sure how that will be impacted. Technology will be instrumental to keeping everyone in close communication and business running the best it can in these trying times.”

He plans to make initial contacts with stakeholders and AgriLife Extension and research professionals across the state in the coming weeks. However, he said, it will have to be either via telephone or online-based video conference platforms.

Long-term outreach and educational programming include continuing to work with others to develop high-quality resources, outreach and educational programs that improve Texas agriculture.

“I really enjoy interacting with people, so my hope is things will begin to normalize soon,” McKnight said. “I’m looking forward to getting out in the state to meet our stakeholders and my new colleagues. I’m a very hands-on learner, and I believe that most people in agriculture are too. So, I look forward to participating in field days and grower meetings, in addition to working with others to develop hands-on training activities for our county agents, producers and clientele in the future.”

Genomes of five cotton species unveiled by Texas-rich research team

20Apr

By: Kay Ledbetter

Cotton – we touch it every day. From clothes to medical supplies to animal feed, cotton continues to increase in quality. A recent collaborative, including Texas A&M researchers, is making sure this amazing crop, and thus the products made from it, will continue to be efficiently bred, grown and produced.

New cotton gene sequencing will help researchers improve the valuable staple in our lives. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

The multi-institutional research team sequenced five cotton species, including Upland and Pima cotton grown here in Texas, as well as globally. Contributions to the effort from Texas involved Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the University of Texas – Austin.

The most recent issue of Nature Genetics reports on the results of this collaboration — high-quality genome-wide sequence assemblies for each of five 52-chromosome species of the cotton genus Gossypium, a member of the Malvaceae family, which also includes okra, kenaf, hibiscus, durian and cacao.

The overall project was funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, and led by Z. Jeffrey Chen, Ph.D., a former student and former faculty member of Texas A&M who now holds the D. J. Sibley Centennial Professorship in Plant Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas at Austin.

Breeding cotton typically increases economic yield through better productivity, better quality of products and improved sustainability by providing better pest resistance and drought resilience, David Stelly, Ph.D., a co-principal investigator in the National Science Foundation project and AgriLife Research cotton breeder in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station.

“Globally, cotton is the premier natural fiber crop of the world, a major oilseed crop and an important feed crop,” Stelly said. “This report establishes new opportunities in multiple basic and applied scientific disciplines that relate directly and indirectly to genetic diversity, evolution, wild germplasm utilization and increasing the efficacy with which we use natural resources for provisioning society.”

The cotton genome research project

While fiber removed from the cotton seed is of greatest value, ginned seed also provides significant additional value as a source of vegetable oil and/or dairy cattle feed. The recent data and findings provide immediately accessible resources for basic and applied research, including breeding and gene editing.

The five cotton species (Graphic provided by David Stelly)

The other three species sequenced originate from Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands or Ecuador and Brazil. They remain undomesticated but are sources of prospectively useful genetic differences. The Nature Genetics report should facilitate use of all five species in genomics-aided cotton breeding programs.

Stelly said the importance of the assemblies may be accentuated by the extreme complexity of cotton’s genome. It contains a relatively large number of genes, about twice as many as occur in most flowering plants with simple genomes.

The researchers report that sequences of these five species’ genomes will provide long-needed genomics resources and insights that will facilitate genetic improvements needed to maintain economic yield from production, enhance quality and value of the fiber and seed products, and further improve sustainability-enhancing features, such as resistance to pests, pathogens, drought and heat-resilience.

Contributions from Stelly’s laboratory

Contributions from Texas A&M came through Stelly’s laboratory. A key finding by graduate student Luis De Santiago was the detection and mapping of numerous “haplotypic blocks” throughout the genome of Upland cottons.

Stelly explained these present a major challenge for breeding, because they are both non-recombinant and virtually uniform among cultivars. Evidence corroborating the haplotypic blocks was obtained from analyses of genetic recombination, also involving Yu-Ming Li and former student Amanda Hulse-Kemp, Ph.D.

Also, from Stelly’s laboratory, researchers Robert Vaughn, Ph.D., provided plant, seed and nuclei acid samples to the team, and Bo Liu, Ph.D., provided integrative molecular cytogenetic mapping data.

“This kind of mega-project takes a lot of time and effort, but can yield game-changing results, and this one certainly has done that,” Stelly said. “Already, we are seeing paradigm shifts in what we and others are doing and thinking about doing. These kinds of data are vital to our research and breeding efforts and open many doors for exploration.”

He also emphasized collaborations and individual contributions are instrumental to success.

“Research projects like this unlock agriculture’s potential,” said Patrick J. Stover, vice chancellor of Texas A&M AgriLife, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “By developing crops that enhance health and increase profitability, we not only improve cotton immediately, but the way we approach this data and findings provide direction for basic and applied research far into the future.”

“The Soil and Crop Sciences Department appreciates the leadership of Dr. Stelly in guiding this project to completion and providing the vision for implementing the results to benefit our cotton producers,” said David Baltensperger, Ph.D., department head, College Station.

Other members of the team

Other project members include:
– Chen’s functional genomics / epigenetics team at UT-Austin.
– Jane Grimwood, Ph.D., and Jeremy Schmutz, along with their HudsonAlpha/JGI structural genomics and bioinformatics teams, including Jerry Jenkins, Ph.D., and key bioinformatics contributor Avinash Sreedasyam, Ph.D.
– The U.S. Department of Agriculture genomics and bioinformatics teams of Brian Scheffler, Ph.D., Mississippi, and Hulse-Kemp, North Carolina.
– The Clemson genomics team of Chris Saski, Ph.D.
– Keith McGee, Ph.D., and his educational team at Alcorn State.
– Mississippi State genomics group of Dan Peterson, Ph.D.
– The Iowa State taxonomic genomics group involving Jonathan Wendel and Corrinne Grover, both Ph.Ds.
– Industry involvement through Don Jones, Ph.D., with Cotton Incorporated, a not-for-profit company that works with cotton scientists, the textile industry and consumers.

Other institutions involved in the research were Nanjing Agricultural University in China, and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. The work was supported by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cotton Incorporated. The work conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The work was also supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, and Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China.

FDA approves ultra-low gossypol cottonseed for human, animal consumption

16Dec

Writer: Kay Ledbetter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to ultra-low gossypol cottonseed, ULGCS, to be utilized as human food and in animal feed, something Texas A&M AgriLife researchers have been working on for nearly 25 years.

Keerti Rathore, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant biotechnologist in the Texas A&M Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station, and his team have developed, tested and obtained deregulation for the transgenic cotton plant – TAM66274.

man in greenhouse with cotton plants in pots

Dr. Keerti Rathore in his greenhouse with the new ultra-low gossypol cotton plants. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

TAM66274 is a unique cotton plant with ultra-low gossypol levels in the seed, which makes the protein from the seeds safe to consume, Rathore said, but also maintains normal plant-protecting gossypol levels in the rest of the plant, making it ideal for the traditional cotton farmer.

Patrick Stover, Ph.D., vice-chancellor and dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of AgriLife Research, said this is research with a direct, positive impact on the world’s food supply.

“This demonstrates how we can make a difference in enhancing the nutritional quality of the food system for those in greatest need, while enhancing the profitability of agriculture production,” Stover said. “Our goal is to advance sustainable agriculture in Texas and around the world, and this new protein source is yet another step in that direction.”

Cottonseed as a food source

If adopted by the cotton growers worldwide, ULGCS has the potential to make a significant impact on nutrition security, especially in the poor, cotton-growing countries, Rathore said.

“The amount of protein locked up in the annual output of cottonseed worldwide is about 10.8 trillion grams,” he said. “That is more than what is present in all the chicken eggs produced globally, and enough to meet the basic protein requirements of over 500 million people.”

This FDA approval is only the fifth for a university-developed, genetically engineered crop in the 25-year history of genetically modified products in the U.S., and is the first for a Texas university, Rathore said.

Except for a few countries, most cotton producing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa, suffer from hunger and malnutrition, Rathore said. Up to now, the ability to utilize protein-rich cottonseed for food or even as feed for the non-ruminants was not possible because of the presence of a toxic terpenoid, gossypol.

With the development and approval of the ULGCS, gossypol is no longer a deterrent.

The human food ingredients from TAM66274 cottonseed can be roasted cottonseed kernels, raw cottonseed kernels, cottonseed kernels, partially defatted cottonseed flour, defatted cottonseed flour and cottonseed oil.

Rathore said initially low-gossypol cottonseed protein can be used by two of the most efficient systems to convert feed protein into edible animal protein: aquaculture and the poultry industry.

“Both of these industries are experiencing high rates of growth and are likely to continue growing for the foreseeable future,” he said.

cross-sections of cotton seeds and leaves

Images showing gossypol-containing glands in the seed kernels and leaf blades of a regular cotton plant and the ultra-low gossypol cottonseed TAM66274, approved by the FDA. Seed kernels were sliced into two halves to make glands visible. Note the lighter-colored glands in TAM66274 kernels reflecting the reduction in gossypol levels by 97%. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Steps to a new protein source

Getting to this point took approval from two areas of government. First, non-regulated status for TAM66274 was required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Then, FDA approval was needed.

“This approval from FDA enables cultivation and use of this promising new cottonseed product within the U.S.,” Rathore said.

The research was supported by funds from Cotton Inc. and AgriLife Research.

Kater Hake, Ph.D., vice president of agricultural and environmental research at Cotton Inc., said gossypol suppression in cottonseed has been part of their funded research portfolio for over 30 years.

“It took time to tap the innate protein potential in the seed; time for the right technologies to develop; and time for the right research team to come along.”

Building a market

The next step, Hake said, is to get cotton farmers and the industry around the world to begin growing and marketing the special variety.

Tom Wedegaertner, director of cottonseed research and marketing at Cotton Inc., explained the dedication to this research project, saying gossypol in the leaves and stalks of the cotton plant serve as a pest deterrent, but its presence in the seed serves no purpose.

Hake said with the full deregulation approval in place, “We can now demonstrate the value of a novel food source to cottonseed processors and seed companies who are essential to purchasing and delivering the seed to cotton growers.”

More bang for the cotton buck

With expanded use of ULGCS for human nutrition either directly as food or indirectly as feed, the cotton plant can potentially become a dual-purpose crop that will be cultivated not only as a source of natural fiber, but just as much for its seed to be used as a source of oil as well as protein, Rathore said.

Importantly, he said, the ULGCS makes available a vast source of protein without bringing additional land under the plow or an increase in the input costs.

Another potential benefit, Rathore said, is that ULGCS, by serving as a substitute for fishmeal, will positively impact the environment by reducing pressure on the severely strained supply of small, wild-caught ocean fish used as a source of feed in fish farms.

Also, by serving as a source of protein, it could reduce agricultural land-clearing in the Amazon and other places to provide space to grow more soybeans to satisfy the rising demand for protein for the growing population.

“Thus, we believe ULGCS represents a unique biotech trait that will benefit farmers, the cottonseed processing industry, the environment and human health,” he said.

Reducing malnutrition

Ultimately, though, Rathore’s goal is for global adoption of TAM66274 to help address protein malnutrition in impoverished parts of the world that cultivate cotton.

Human nutrition trials conducted in some Central and South American countries, Western Africa, Asia and the U.S. in the 1960s through the 1980s show that with substantial reduction or complete elimination of gossypol, cottonseed protein can play a direct and significant role in alleviating protein-calorie malnutrition in a populace suffering as a result of inadequate nutrition.

“It is my hope, as we move forward in the commercialization process, that the protein derived from ULGCS remain affordable as a supplement in protein-poor diets,” Rathore said.

Video series to highlight cotton education and highlight northern Panhandle best management practices

19Jun

Writer: Kay Ledbetter
Contact: Dr. Jourdan Bell, Jourdan.Bell@ag.tamu.edu

“Cotton and Conservation” is the title of a new series of videos being developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and North Plains Groundwater Conservation District.

Dr. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Amarillo, said she is excited about this new partnership that will report on cotton development and irrigation conservation at demonstration sites throughout the water district.

“We’ll use the video series to describe the growth stage of the cotton, any insect or disease pressure and report on irrigation, soil moisture and any management variables,” said Kirk Welch, North Plains Groundwater Conservation District assistant general manager, public outreach, Dumas. “This will help producers in the North Plains better manage their cotton in hopes of saving water while maintaining or increasing yield.”

The weekly video series will be posted on the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District Cotton and Conservation web page, https://northplainsgcd.org/cotton.

cotton in field with harvester in background

“Cotton and Conservation” video series designed to help producers in the North Plains save water while maintaining yields.

The total planted cotton acreage across the eight counties that comprise the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District has increased approximately 283,000 acres from 2013 to 2018. Of that, the irrigated cotton acreage has increased from 46,557 to 250,221 acres during this five-year period.

Bell said as cotton acreage has expanded into the northwestern corner of the Panhandle, it is important to account for weekly development of the cotton crop and evaluate the accumulation of growing degree days with respect to key growth stages for the region.

“What we have seen as cotton has progressed further north is that the development does not necessarily agree with growing-degree calendars from other cotton-producing regions,” she said.

Growing degree day accumulation and the cotton plant development is a standard across the globe for cotton, Bell said, because heat drives the development of the cotton plant.

To help producers stay on top of their crop, Bell created an accounting process for AgriLife Extension agents to record plant development and field conditions over each week at the six locations. Weather stations were set up at each location to monitor the daily temperatures.

Helping provide information for the project will be AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agents Scott Strawn, Ochiltree; Mike Bragg, Dallam and Hartley; Marcel Fischbacher, Moore; Kristy Slough, Hutchinson; J.R. Sprague, Lipscomb; and a regional agronomy agent covering Dallam, Hartley, Sherman and Moore counties.

“This is a great opportunity to increase educational programming in cotton irrigation management as regional groundwater levels decline across the Texas Panhandle,” Bell said. “Where producers may be unable to meet the water demand for many crops, cotton is a viable alternative for northern Texas Panhandle irrigated acres.”

Due to variable precipitation patterns, irrigation is necessary to stabilize and optimize cotton production as with other irrigated crops, she said, but because cotton is drought-tolerant, it is poised to increase on dryland acres as seen in recent years.

Management strategies vary between irrigated and dryland production systems, so this educational programming can help increase profitability on dryland acres and allow producers to concentrate irrigation supplies to enhance the profitability of irrigated acreage, Bell said.

Since the northern Texas Panhandle is a short-season cotton production region, variety selection is a critical decision. Texas A&M AgriLife currently has five Replicated Agronomic Cotton Evaluations, or RACE variety trials, across the water district coordinated by Bell.

These provide an unbiased evaluation of key varieties positioned for the Texas Panhandle region under different environmental and management systems. These trials evaluate not only the yield potential of top varieties but also variety stability.

“The 2019 results will be especially important because we are able to evaluate cotton development under unfavorable planting conditions,” Bell said.

She explained the abundant rains and standing water have caused planting and seeding issues. These unfavorable conditions have already caused the loss of the planned field sites in Hutchinson and Ochiltree counties.

“These varieties have a shorter bloom period and are generally more determinant than full-season varieties,” she said. “As a result, earlier maturing varieties are often unable to recover from in-season stress, so monitoring their environment, available heat units and water needs is key to helping producers make educated decisions in their cotton production moving forward.”

Two Soil and Crop Sciences faculty members recognized at Beltwide Cotton Conference

31Jan

Writer: Kay Ledbetter

Two Texas A&M AgriLife faculty members brought back honors from the recent National Cotton Council’s 2019 Beltwide Cotton Conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state cotton specialist, College Station, was presented the 2019 Outstanding Career Research Award for Cotton Agronomy. The award is sponsored by BASF.

Dr. Katie Lewis, Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil scientist, Lubbock, was presented The Dr. J. Tom Cothren Outstanding Young Cotton Soil Scientist Award. One is given each year, and the recipient must have earned a doctorate within the past 10 years and demonstrate a strong research, teaching and advising program. The award is sponsored by PhytoGen Cotton.

Texas A&M AgriLife faculty Dr. Gaylon Morgan, College Station, and Dr. Katie Lewis, Lubbock, brought back honors to Texas from the annual Beltwide Cotton Conference. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Dr. Gaylon Morgan

“Dr. Morgan is a catalyst who is known to develop teams and working groups across agencies to support the cotton industry in Texas and across the Cotton Belt,” said Dr. Randy Boman, senior technical service manager in cotton for Indigo Ag, in a letter of support.

“He and his team do an outstanding job of integrating outreach programming, applied research efforts, student training and grant acquisition to provide cutting-edge information to the clientele through county agent-led programming, professional meetings and various media outlets.”

In just two years, Morgan and his collaborating AgriLife Extension specialists across the state made more than 14,600 educational contacts in 278 cotton variety educational meetings on variety performance alone. Approximately 9,000 test-plot trial reports have been distributed to producers, cotton gins and consultants via educational meetings also during that time.

Morgan helped develop enterprise budgets to assess the per-acre costs of using herbicides rather than mechanical means to destroy stalks in two regions of the state. He also researched new herbicides for destroying stalks of the new auxin-tolerant cotton varieties and worked to obtain a state label and make it available to Texas cotton growers.

Another area of concentration for Morgan is nitrogen fertilizer, the nomination stated. Surveys indicate more than 19,000 producers have seen presentations on crediting soil residual nitrogen based on his work since 2007.

“I am very honored to win this award,” Morgan said. “I have witnessed many great and internationally recognized colleagues win this career award at the Beltwide. I was completely surprised and humbled by just being nominated for the award, much less to win it.”

Morgan has been recognized with three Superior Service Awards by AgriLife Extension as a member of the Auxin Herbicide Educational Team, the Cotton Variety Evaluation and Education Team and the Cotton Root Rot Management Team, and one individual award.

Additionally, he has been honored by the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association with the Statewide Extension Specialist award, as the Beltwide Cotton Specialist of the Year by Bayer Crop Sciences and with the Academic/Agency Award by Texas Plant Protection Association.

Dr. Katie Lewis

“As the daughter of a South Texas cotton and grain farmer, Katie was introduced at a young age to the challenges of cotton farming and how they can drastically change the bottom line,” said Dr. Jaroy Moore, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director at Lubbock.

“Naturally, cotton is the central focus of her research program where she concentrates on soil fertility responses in both dryland and irrigated soils,” Moore said. “Her work is vitally important to the Southern High Plains, Texas and the nation, while helping educate future scientists, farmers, society and policymakers.”

While only in her third year with AgriLife Research, Lewis is continually striving to enhance her understanding of the critical challenges currently facing agriculture and society, her nomination stated.

“Dr. Lewis considers soil to be one of our most valuable natural resources, with the ability to produce food, feed and fiber, recycle wastes, filter and break down contaminants, and sequester carbon,” said nominator Dr. Glen Ritchie, AgriLife Research and Texas Tech University cotton physiologist, Lubbock.

Lewis has a joint appointment with Texas Tech, so she is engaged in research, teaching and service. In her first three years, she obtained federal, state and private research funding, taught at a graduate and undergraduate level, attracted and advised high-quality graduate students, and served her community, universities and professional organizations.

“Even though Katie does not have an official AgriLife Extension appointment, she passionately serves her community by participating in grower meetings and field days and consulting farmers on soil and nutrient management decisions,” Ritchie said. “Her passion and desire to enhance the profitability and sustainability of farming operations is evident to her students, colleagues, industry partners and farming community.”

New caveats for Texas auxin herbicide training

24Jan

Writer: Kay Ledbetter

Producers will need to pick up a second round of auxin training this year if they plan to use dicamba products, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist.

In late October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will extend the registration of dicamba for two years for over-the-top weed control in dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean.

The extended labels include changes to ensure these products continue to be used effectively and to address concerns about off-target movement, said Scott Nolte, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist, College Station.

Producers using auxin herbicides face new training requirements.

Initial label changes state only certified applicators may apply dicamba over the top of the crop, Nolte said. The changes also prohibit over-the-top applications 60 days after planting for cotton and 45 days for soybeans.

The new rules limit the number of over-the-top applications to two for both cotton and soybeans, and limit applications between one hour after sunrise and two hours before sunset. In counties where endangered species exist, applicators must maintain the downwind 110-foot buffer and add a 57-foot buffer around the other sides of the target field.

Nolte warned some of these new changes may be different before the 2019 spring growing season pending 24C, additional-use, requests submitted to the Texas Department of Agriculture. If approved, the 24C labels will be available on the TDA website, www.texasagriculture.gov/RegulatoryPrograms/Pesticides.

Three dicamba products – Engenia herbicide by BASF Corporation, XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology by Bayer CropScience, and DuPont FeXapan herbicide Plus VaporGrip Technology by Corteva Agriscience – are restricted-use pesticides and state-limited-use pesticides in Texas, which requires the sale to and use by certified applicators only.

Nolte clarified that the auxin trainings are not a substitute for the state-specified certified applicator training, which is required to purchase and use restricted-use pesticides.

Also, TDA has added 2,4-D choline formulations – Enlist Duo and Enlist One for use on 2,4-D-tolerant crops – to be included in these mandatory trainings. These are state-limited-use pesticides in Texas and can only be sold to and used by certified applicators or those working under the supervision of a certified applicator.

The two-hour mandated auxin trainings for the new year will include the following topics: why do auxin herbicides require additional precautions, label requirements for approved auxin formulations, understanding temperature inversions, spray system hygiene, record keeping and using dicamba or 2,4-D in a weed management system.

AgriLife Extension will be providing a two-hour in-person course, approved by TDA, that will fulfill the training requirements for dicamba and 2,4-D choline products and will include two continuing education units for laws and regulations.

Contact the local AgriLife Extension county agent for training locations, dates and times.

Nolte said BASF Corporation, Bayer CropScience and Corteva Agriscience also will be requesting TDA-approved training courses focusing on each company’s specific technology and will therefore only be one-hour, one CEU courses.

Stelly receives Cotton Biotechnology award at Plant and Animal Genome

22Jan

Texas A&M University’s Dr. David Stelly was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Cotton Biotechnology Award at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference recently in San Diego.

Stelly is a professor of cytogenetics, genetics, genomics and plant breeding in the soil and crop sciences department at Texas A&M and has a joint appointment with Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

Stelly was one of three nominees this year and was unanimously selected by the committee, said Dr. Don Jones, director of agricultural research with Cotton Incorporated.

Dr. David Stelly, left, Texas A&M University professor, receives the 2018 Cotton Biotechnology Award from Dr. Don Jones with Cotton Incorporated. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Describing what a high honor this is, Jones said the Cotton Biotechnology Award was established in 2000 and has been presented on only six previous occasions. It recognizes outstanding biotechnology research in cotton and is administered by the Agricultural and Environmental Research Department at Cotton Incorporated.

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton.

Jones said Stelly was selected for his contributions all over the world covering cytogenetics, chromosome substitution lines, and the widely used 63K SNP chip genotyping tool.

Stelly has more than 40 years of breeding experiences with diploid and polyploid crops such as potato, tomato, soybean, maize, conifers, sorghum and cotton. His research also includes germplasm introgression, reproductive biology and cytology, cytogenetics, genetics and genomics.

In accepting the award, Stelly gratefully recognized and thanked “the many contributions of past and current members of his laboratory, as well as large numbers of domestic and international collaborators.”

He joined Texas A&M in 1983, and for the past 35 years, his research program has focused on increasing the ability to use wild genetic resources for the improvement of cotton.

Stelly earned his bachelor’s degree in genetics from the University of Wisconsin, his master’s degree in plant breeding and cytogenetics from Iowa State University, and his doctorate in plant breeding and plant genetics at the University of Wisconsin.

A recent Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science awardee, Stelly has been recognized with many honors over the years, including being named the Cotton Researcher of the Year by the International Cotton Advisory Committee in 2017.

He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Conference on Genetics and Cytogenetics at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad in Karnataka, India, and was named a Fellow by the Crop Science Society of America, both in 2016.

Manipulation of gossypol-containing glands in cotton can boost plant’s natural defenses

10Jan

By: Kay Ledbetter

Development of a cotton plant with stronger natural defenses due to a greater gland density and thus more gossypol in the leaves could soon be a reality, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant biotechnologist in College Station.

Seeds and other parts of cotton possess dark glands containing toxic terpenoids such as gossypol that defend the plant against pests and pathogens, said Dr. Keerti Rathore, AgriLife Research plant biotechnologist in the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology at Texas A&M University.

Rathore and his team compared RNA production in the embryos from a glanded cotton and a mutant glandless plant. These analyses resulted in the identification of three genes that play a critical role in gland formation, he said.

The study, “Genes regulating gland development in the cotton plant,” has been published online in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.13044. The research was supported by funds from Cotton Inc. and Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

The team used virus-induced gene silencing and CRISPR-mediated gene knockout to reduce/eliminate the glands in the plant, thus validating the function of the genes.

cotton leaves and seeds with and without small black dots throughout.

Left top and bottom, normal cotton exhibits gossypol-containing glands (dark-colored dots) in the seed and leaf. Right top and bottom, seed and leaf show the effect of laboratory-created disruption of Cotton Gland Formation gene 3, CGF3, confirming its role in gland development, (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dr. Devendra Pandeya)

Rathore’s lab recently announced development and deregulation of a gossypol-free cottonseed – ultra-low gossypol cottonseed or ULGCS – that could be a new source of protein for the more efficient aquaculture species and poultry or even as human food.

However, equally important in the world of scientific discoveries, he said, is the intriguing possibility of enhancing the expression of these genes to increase the number of glands in the leaves and floral tissues. This would allow for boosting gossypol production in those locations and strengthening the plant’s natural defenses.

“There is an increasing need for such a natural defense mechanism against pests because more and more insect species are developing resistance to various forms of Bt-cotton,” Rathore said.

He said the results of this continued study “is a very important scientific discovery, and it also has some historical significance.”

Rathore explained that in the 1950s, a cotton breeder discovered a mutant cotton plant that was free of glands being grown by the native Americans of the Hopi tribe in Arizona. These cotton plants were the original source of glandless and, therefore, gossypol-free cottonseeds.

“A lot of human nutrition and animal feeding trials were conducted using these, including some at Texas A&M,” he said. “However, these plants did not fare very well in the field because they lacked the protection provided by gossypol.”

He explained this is when his ultra-low gossypol cottonseed work proved helpful.

“We had selectively eliminated gossypol from the seed only,” Rathore said. “Now, in this recent paper, we show exactly the genes that are defective and the nature of the mutations in this Hopi cotton for the first time. Even though breeders have known about the Hopi cotton for the past 64 years, no one knew the exact nature of mutations that made the plant free of glands.”
vThe sequence of the genes now provides Rathore and other researchers with tools that can be used to selectively eliminate gossypol from the seed as well as increase the number of glands, and therefore gossypol levels, in the leaves and floral parts to help the cotton plant better defend itself against pests.

“To provide an analogy, our ULGCS trait is akin to iPhone 4, whereas this discovery represents technology that can be used to create iPhone 10,” he said.

Stelly named AAAS Fellow

27Nov

By: Kay Ledbetter
Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. David Stelly, 979-845-2745, stelly@tamu.edu

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dr. David Stelly has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science or AAAS.

Stelly, a professor of cytogenetics, genetics, genomics and plant breeding in the soil and crop sciences department, holds a joint appointment with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M University in College Station.

Dr. David Stelly has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science or AAAS. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers, according to the association. This year 416 members have been awarded this honor because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Stelly and other new Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin, whose colors represent science and engineering, respectively on Feb. 16 at the 2019 AAAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal, Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, Science Advances, Science Immunology and Science Robotics.

As part of the Agriculture, Food and Renewable Resources Section, Stelly was selected as a Fellow “for instilling the thirst for knowledge of plant breeding, genetics, cytogenetics, and molecular methods to students and colleagues in cotton, sorghum, soybean and potato,” according to the association.

Stelly has more than 40 years of diverse breeding experiences with diploid and polyploid crops such as potato, tomato, soybean, maize, conifers, sorghum and cotton, including researching germplasm introgression, reproductive biology and cytology, cytogenetics, genetics and genomics.

He joined Texas A&M in 1983, and for the past 35 years, he has led a multi-faceted research program that focuses on increasing the ability to use wild genetic resources for improvement of cotton.

He is known internationally for his research efforts that integrate the fields of plant breeding, diploid and polyploid cotton cytogenetics, genetics, mapping, diversity analysis, evolution, wide-cross germplasm introgression, reproductive biology, cytology, cytogenomics and bioinformatics.

He has been recognized with many honors over the years, including being named the Cotton Researcher of the Year by the International Cotton Advisory Committee in 2017. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Conference on Genetics and Cytogenetics at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad in Karnataka, India, and was named a Fellow by the Crop Science Society of America, both in 2016.

For more information about Stelly’s research or to contact him, go to https://soilcrop.tamu.edu/people/stelly-david-m/.