Author
 |
Robinson, Arin |
|
Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: During the last 50 years, more than 400 varieties of cotton have been planted in the United States. New varieties are constantly being developed that possess higher lint quality or yield potential than previously available varieties, or that are better adapted to various cotton growing regions in the country than other varieties are because of the rate at which they mature, the sensitivity of boll set and development to day length, the overall pattern of plant growth in relation to requirements of mechanical harvesting equipment, or resistance to specific insects, diseases, and physical stresses. In this study, information from several published sources was compiled to provide a previously unavailable digital database that allows one to examine the planting history and the geographical distributions of the 60 most widely planted cotton varieties during the last half century, at the county level of resolution. The database can be used by farmers, consultants, researchers, seed companies, and many others involved in cotton production who are interested in the suitability of different plant characteristics to different areas, and the long term effects of growing cotton on soil-borne diseases and soil fertility. Technical Abstract: Data obtained from the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS, USDA), the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS, USDA), and the U. S. Census Bureau (U. S. Dept. Commerce), were compiled into a database that provides acres planted to each of 60 major cotton varieties during the interval 1950-95. Acres for each variety are given each year at the state level for all years from 1950 to 1995, and each year at the county level from 1979 to 1995; county level data prior to 1979 are given only at 5-year intervals from 1952 to 1972, due to unavailability of percentage estimates for specific varieties in intervening years. |
