Source: NCSU COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, 2/14/21

Authors: Guy Collins, Keith Edmisten, Sandy Stewart, Phil Wilson, Lori Snyder, & Mitch Williams

As was highlighted and discussed during our Winter County Cotton Meetings, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Cotton Seed Quality Testing Program was a huge success in 2020, thanks to the leadership of critical people in NCDA&CS, the dedication and stellar effort from our NCDA&CS Inspectors, and the leadership from the NC Cotton Producers Association. Over 600 different seed lots were tested during 2020, and the NCDA&CS 2021 Beekeeping School Cotton Seed Quality Database was accessed over 600 times as well.

The primary goals of this program are to provide transparency, so that growers can not only know the quality of the seed they purchase, but also to make better planting decisions during periods of suboptimal planting weather, through the testing by an unbiased 3rd party (NCDA&CS) who follows a stringent national protocol for evaluating both warm and cool germ. The very large majority of seed lots tested in 2020 resulted in very good quality seed, as 97 % of lots tested with a warm germ of 75 % or better, and 87 % of lots tested with a cool germ of 50 % or better. The percentage of seed lots with poor quality seed and/or stop sales issued were very low, however if one of these lots were to end up on your farm, the impact on you could be substantial. Therefore, another goal of this program is to test as many seed lots as possible, and it is to the benefit of all parties involved (especially you, as a grower) to have seed tested by NCDA&CS with test results available before planting begins.

For more of this story, click here.