February 5, 2010 - The 2010 Variety Report Card has been mailed out to our producers.  The choices for cotton varieties are many and there are at least a dozen varieties that are available and fit well in our region.  Generally, the varieties that I have listed as favorable for our region range from very early and fast in maturity to about a mid-season type variety. 

2009 reminded us why it is important to limit the acreage of a full season type variety and to be sure and plant the varieties that take longer to mature first.

For Virginia, the idea of planting the early varieties first and the full season varieties last to spread out the harvest season does not work well like it does for corn.  A couple of reasons for this is that we typically start planting on light soils which are more drought sensitive and early varieties are generally the shorter and more determinant varieties and as a result, will have a high risk of premature cutout when planted early on light soils.  Likewise we move to the heavier and stronger land as the soils warm up more in May and these are the soils that typically produce taller and later cotton.  The full season varieties planted late on these stronger soils are at greater risk of not reaching full maturity and growing too large.

  Two top varieties that fit these two extremes for us are FM 1740 for the example of an early variety that is short, and Dynagrow 2570 is an example of a taller variety that is more of a medium type maturity.  My recommendation is to start planting a medium to medium full variety like DG 2570 and try to finish planting this variety around the 10th of May.  FM 1740 which is short and very early will be a top yielder when planted in May on a soil that typically produces good vegetative growth.  The early varieties are definitely preferred as we get in mid to late May or for replanting.