Yields of strains of acala cotton in 1938, 1939, and 1940

              Ir
NEIT }.,,MXICO COLI.EG]T OF AGRTCULTURE AND },MC}{ANTC ARTS
AND |.GRICULTUN$I, U(PERT}:ENT STATION
Press Buttetin 925
YTELDS OF',' STRITNS 0F ACALA COTTON rN 1938, L939 t AND }940
The results of the l9l7 straln tests were published in Bullettn 256 of the New
1,.{exico ;igriiu}tura} Drperinrent Station, Sin0e l,frat Uu[etin was issued, much interest
has been shown in the. different strai.ns of Aca1a cotton developed by the Srperiment
Station. Seed of strain No. 1064 was distributed in the Pecos Valley of New liexico in
the sprine of 1937, and of strain No. 1517 in the trlesiLla Valley in 1939. These are norl
widely grov{n in New }iexico and are rep}acing other strains of cotton previously grown.
The 1064 stiain was a selection fron Youngfs Acala and 151? was a selection from 1064.
This press bulletin concerns principally the yield resuLts of the strain test for
the years 1938, L939, and 1940. It is to be noted that there are other straj-ns mcn-tioned
which appa1ently outyield 1"054 and 151?r. but sueh strains are either newer and
not adequately tested or they iontain certain objectlonable characters and ere not con-si-<
lered suitable for general dtstributicjn.
Ra Resume of Breedins 'ffork daF-r-
The cotton-breeding program at the New Mexico Erperiment Station consists of a
progeny test, a.prelim:inary strain test, two advanced strain tests, slnall increase
blocks, and a large increase block. ':
tfre piogeny iest includes e.pch yecr about 300 rows, each of wirich came fron a
single plant of the prcvious yearr These 300 selections planted to make up the prog-eny
test are selccted fronr about 2000 plant selections made from the progeny test of i . the previous yeanr Thc 300 individuals tlrus represent thc best, after the ]aboratory
test has been nade. The characters tested include number of bo}ls per plant, pcrcent
Iint, bo3,1 weight, llnt indcx, seedling vigor, percentage of fibcrs J- 118 inchcs and
longer, and classerts length,
The prelirninary strain tests are of new strains, usually noL previously tested.
The strains incl-ude those that are holdovers fron the prev5.ous year and new ones that
were superi.or in the progeny lest of the previou6 f€&rr The advanced strain test is
composed of holdoverg of prevlous strains in the advanced test, and of outstanding
strains of the prelilninary test. The increage blocks are used merely to nultiply seed of strains which the tests have shovsn to be outstandingo
. The dLstribution of new strains.through the New Mexico Crop Irnprovement Associa*
tion to selected farmers is made only after such gtraips have bben given careful study
by a speeial Cotton Commlttee at the New Mexlco State College. Thls corunittee consists
of representatives of the Agricultural Stperiment Station, the Srtension Service, the
New Mexico Crop Improvement AssocS-ation, and the Division of Cotton and Other Fiber
Crops and Diseases of the Unlted States Departrnent of Agriculture. It is the policy
of this committee that no new strain shaLl be approved for general planting unless it
has been ln the advanced strain test for at least three years. Then, lf it shows su- periority in yie1d, earlinessr md quality, including spinning quality, it is planted
ln a large increase field and later d:istributed to nernbers of the New Mexieo Crop In-proveraent
Association as Foundation seed. The next year it is furple Tag or Registered
seed and the foLlowing year it becomeg Blue Tag or Certified seed.
. Results of 1938. 1939. anri 19lO S\rain Tests
The results of the advanced tests of four strains at State College and Roswell
for l-938 and 1939 are shown in the tabLe below. The 1064 and 1517 strains made a su-perior
showing and were ou{yie}ded slgniflcant}y on}y at Rosvrell, by three new strains
which had not previously been tested. However, at State College, 1493 did antyield
1517 in porinds of seed cobton at the first picklrrg and in total yield of the first end
,second pickings. AIso, No..1&93 made the largest yleld of al} strains j-n the test.