A new computerized system that automatically measures cotton quality at various stages of gin processing has been developed by ARS scientists. The system predicts the effects of moisture content, color and trash and then routes the cotton through the proper mechanical cleaning and drying sequences so it gets the optimum grade. Ginners can customize their ginning process for each farmer. Field gin research from 1994 to 1996 shows farmers receive additional profits of $10 to $20 per bale with the customized ginning system. One Alabama gin increased farmer profits by $16.72 per bale on about 42,000 bales in 1994, for an overall profit increase of more than $702,000. In 1995, profits were boosted by $21 per bale with the computerized system. The system also reduces energy costs and helps save the ginner nearly $1 per bale.
ARS Cotton Ginning Research Unit, Stoneville, MS
W. Stanley Anthony, (601)686-3094, anthonys@ars.usda.gov

Agroforestry offers livestock farmers new money- making options--especially for those with limited acreage. ARS scientists studying two types of agroforestry, silvopasture and alley cropping, say farmers who plant the right tree species in their pastures can boost their income by as much as 300 percent. In silvopasture, farmers raise trees, cows and grass on the same land. In alley cropping, farmers grow crops between tree rows while waiting for their trees to mature. Livestock farmers can use their land to make supplemental or alternative income when livestock prices are low without sacrificing their main source of income. Extra income from grazing in silvopasture is estimated at about $3,400 a year for a 50-cow, 200-acre pasture. By planting 60 acres of a 200-acre pasture with trees over a 30-year period, extra income could increase to about $5,000 a year. ARS researchers are looking at a wide range of alternative crops, including corn, muscadine grapes and plants with natural chemical properties used in industry, medicine and as dietary supplements, to learn which crops would work best in an agroforestry system.
Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, Booneville, AR
Catalino A. Blanche, (501) 675-3834, cblanche@yell.com

Plant breeders can identify oat varieties that produce a good measure of oatmeal by testing the oat kernels' insides--known as groats--for hardness. In research involving six genetically diverse varieties, ARS scientists observed that harder groats are less likely to break when they're separated from the hulls. Fewer broken groats mean more and bigger flakes of rolled oats and fewer siftings channeled into less valuable animal feed. Also playing a role in oatmeal yield and groat breakage is moisture content of the oats during dehulling. Too much moisture makes groats separate less easily and cleanly from the hulls. The researchers say 8 percent moisture content is ideal for efficient dehulling with minimal groat breakage.
Cereal Crops Research, Fargo, ND
Douglas C. Doehlert, (701) 239-1413, doehlert@plains.nodak.edu

Planting 50 percent more corn seed than usual cuts weed seed production by 69 to 94 percent. This reduces not only weeds, but also herbicide use for years to come--while boosting corn yields. ARS researchers monitored velvetleaf weed seed production and corn yields in fields planted at 1, 1.5 and 2 times the normal rate over a 3-year period. A separate study showed that an 80 percent reduction of velvetleaf weed seeds translates into a 12 percent increase in annual farm profits. Such a reduction also eliminates herbicides in one of every four years. Denser corn growth helps the crop plants form a tighter canopy, blocking weeds from sunlight needed to produce seeds. Dense planting can backfire, however, as the strategy requires greater soil moisture. Yields dropped one season at the 1.5 seeding rate and two seasons at the double rate because of dry spells. The researchers say farmers should try dense planting only on irrigated fields or soils with good moisture-holding capacity--and only at the 1.5 rate, at least for now. Improved corn varieties may make higher rates feasible in the future.
Weed Science Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
John R. Teasdale, (301) 504-5504, teasdale@asrr.arsusda.gov

A nitrogen-fixing bacterium developed by ARS researchers is helping soybean farmers boost crop yields while cutting down on commercial fertilizer expenses. ARS scientists developed, tested and patented the microbe in 1991; now it's sold by Urbana Laboratories of St. Joseph, MO, as a new seed inoculant. The ARS scientists bred the new strain from the bacterial species Bradyrhizobium japonicum. Soybeans harbor soil bacteria on their roots that take nitrogen from the air and convert to a form plants can use as fertilizer. This means less artificial fertilizer is needed. In field studies, the scientists' new Bradyrhizobium strain supplied soybean plants with 44 percent more nitrogen than another Bradyrhizobium strain that's widely used. Studies by Urbana and collaborators indicate this can translate to an extra two or more bushels per acre for the farmer. Urbana holds an exclusive license on the ARS strain. The company estimates its inoculant products containing the bacterium are used on 1.2 million acres of soybeans nationwide. The microbe's success is also the culmination of a 15-year research project the ARS scientists concluded in 1997.
Crop Science Research Laboratory, Fort Collins, CO
Jim Hunter (970) 498-4208, jhunter@lamar.colostate.educ
Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
David Kuykendall, (301) 504-5736

Planting mid-south cotton earlier in the season to shift the peak flowering period yields more bolls and more cotton fiber, a recent ARS study suggests. Cotton in the mid-south region (Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and western Tennessee) suffers from insufficient sunlight. In the first year of a multi-year field study, ARS scientists planted Gossypium hirsutum L. cotton during the first week of April, a month earlier than the normal planting. This procedure, called ultra-early planting, shifts the peak flowering period closer to the summer solstice--the longest daylight period--allowing the plants to soak up more light. The ultra-early planted cotton produced 11 percent more fiber, known as lint, than cotton planted at the usual time. Lint is used to make threads for clothing and other products. The greater yield was due primarily to an increase in bolls. Another advantage for growers: Cotton planted in April flowered about 2 weeks earlier than crops planted at the usual time. This earlier maturity allows growers to harvest their crop sooner and get their cotton to market earlier, when prices are higher. Also, the early planting helps cotton plants escape some insect attacks that worsen as the season progresses. On the negative side, some plants may suffer early-season cold stress, but so far, studies show that yield is still about the same as normal planting, even if the plants are cold-stressed. The scientists are trying to identify more cold-tolerant varieties.
Cotton Physiology and Genetics Research Unit, Stoneville, MS
William T. Pettigrew, (601) 686-5234, bpettigr@ag.gov

Last Updated: February 18, 1998
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