Progress 09/15/03 to 09/14/06
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The primary focus of this program (2003-38868-02070; International Cotton Research Center) was to develop an integrated multi-disciplinary cotton research program focused on optimizing production, marketing, and trade of U.S. cotton and other natural fibers. A total of 17 individual projects were funded and completed during the funding time-period. These efforts target 1) the enhancement of yield and fiber properties through genetic manipulation and improved production practices, 2) the management of natural resources (water, soil) to maintain sustainability, and 3) the evaluation of various marketing and trade policies at the federal level in maintaining the viability of the U.S. cotton and natural fiber industries. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Notable accomplishments/findings/impacts associated with these studies include: 1) discovered that cotton progeny performance relative to fiber length can be reasonably well predicted from the General Combining Ability among genotypes, 2) expanded the Agricultural and Food Policy representative farm data base to include 5 new cotton farms in Texas bringing the total to 19, 3) determined that more indeterminate cotton varieties are capable of responding to increasing water supplies than the more-determinate varieties; however, the more-determinate types tend to have a higher water use efficiency under limited water supplies, 4) over 600 CDs have been distributed to various media outlets and professionals containing cotton production statistics and a list of experts to be used as sources, 5) analysis of economic data indicates that certain key competitors of U.S. cotton are selling their products for 30% less than the U.S.; however, the margin is narrowing, 6) information on milling capacity and quantity of cotton processed by various U.S. textile firms is being analyzed to determine market share for U.S. firms, 7) market research indicates that market share for shirts, jeans, and shorts for males and jeans and dresses for females can be increased if the items contain 100% cotton, 8) collected several diverse cotton germplasm lines from India, China, Uzbekistan and currently evaluating for important phenotypes and genetic diversity, 9) developed a technique for estimating yields of cotton fields prior to harvest based on remote sensing imagery, 10) evaluating 54 M6 cotton lines with high and low seed oil content to determine if lint yield and fiber quality can be enhanced by reducing seed oil content, 11) Stability Analysis data are being used to prepare regression equations to predict both lint yield and fiber quality of individual cotton lines, and 12) determined that the presence of one arthropod predator per cotton plant is sufficient to keep aphid population below the treatment threshold level.
Publications
- Field, J., S. Misra, and O. Ramirez. Evaluating Crop and Revenue Insurance Products as Risk Management Tools for Texas Cotton producers. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics. 1(2003): 39-52.
- Malaga, J. and S. Mohanty. Agreement on Textiles and Clothing: Is it a WTO Failure Journal of International Law and Trade Policy. 4(2003): 75-85.
- Du, L., F. Ge, S. Zhu, and M. N. Parajulee. Effect of cotton cultivar on development and reproduction of Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididae) and its predator Propylaea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) through the food chain. Journal of Economic Entomology 97(2004): 1278-1283.
- Fitzgerald, G. J., S. J. Maas, and W. R. DeTar. Spider mite detection and canopy component mapping in cotton using hyperspectral imagery and spectral mixture analysis. J. Precision Agriculture. 5(2004):279-289.
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