While farmers front challenges beyond their control — weather , output cost and market price — a decades - sometime inquiry servicing can get rid of some of the unknown as farmers select seed smorgasbord for the next twelvemonth ’s craw . Crop diverseness trials offer by the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station give granger brainwave into a new come ’s potentiality .
MAFES conducts run for the state ’s major agronomic crops include clavus , cotton wool , oats , rice , ryegrass , soybeans and wheat , aver Brad Burgess , the variety examination operations manager at Mississippi State University . They use the crop tests to pile up data such as yield , height , lodging , stand counts and ear altitude .
“ We want to give growers the good idea of a cum ’s potential difference in a full variety of conditions , ” Burgess said . “ Trials are scattered across the state on different soil types , in irrigate and non - irrigated locations , and where different environmental shape will be a element . ”
University craw specialists , extension serving agent and industry representative make up the technical advisory citizens committee for each craw . They oversee site pick and other trial decisions while germ companies pay fees to move into their seed in the trials .
Burgess said MAFES worker keep detailed track record so growers will know dirt and conditions stipulation , specifics on chemical treatments , and dates of planting , growth stages and harvest .
“ cultivator need an unbiassed generator for seed rating , ” Burgess said , noting that farmer interest group in the trials increases each yr . “ We attempt to center on the crop and expanse of high stake . We also work closely with our actuary to ensure the version of the research is sound . ”
Jimmy Sneed , who has produce near Hernando , Miss. , for more than three decades and pose on the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board , uses the trials as the service line in making his crop variety selections . He wants to know what effort he put into producing the reported craw yields . gamey input may grow impregnable yields , but they may not be be effective .
“ raiser can take that data and compare it to sow society selective information and then make planting decisions , ” Sneed said . “ I want to be able to see how a diversity has performed over two or three twelvemonth . At the end of the day , the bottom line is yield potential and consistency . ”
Fannie Farmer eagerly expect tribulation results each fall before make germ selections for the next growing time of year , said Tim Walker , associate research prof at MSU who performs variety test on rice , said
He said the researchers have a modest combine that collects the data as the crop is harvested in each patch . In addition to yield , he prove rice researchers test for moisture and mill quality .
“ Within two weeks of crop , we can be ready to print all our data , ” Walker said . “ Every year , growers seem to want more entropy , and they want it flying . Technology is helping us deliver it . ”
The information that is gathered through the variety show trials is parcel out in bulletin and post on MSU ’s web site .
Travis Satterfield of Benoit , Miss. , watches the run solution for soybean , rice and corn varieties . In his crops , he reckon for good production potential , disease underground and no lodging problem , and he compares the results from different locations .
In 2009 , MAFES quiz 101 varieties of corn , 44 varieties of cotton , 9 miscellany of oats , 41 varieties of Elmer Rice , 83 varieties of ryegrass , 274 assortment of soy and 41 varieties of wheat berry . Farmers can view results from 1994 to the most recent results on the MSUwebsite . Printed bulletins are available at Mississippi county reference avail offices .
