North Carolina Conducts Cotton Seed-Testing Pilot Program

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) conducted a cotton seed-testing pilot program during the 2020 planting season. The sampling was carried out by the state’s seed and fertilizer field staff, with testing conducted in the North Carolina Seed Lab. Prior to the program, ASTA created a document titled “Cotton Seed Quality Assurance” which was distributed to southeastern U.S. state agriculture departments, Farm Bureaus, seed associations, cotton seed associations and university extension programs.

The pilot program was initiated by cotton growers in response to regulatory samples showing a gradual decline over the past four years in cotton seed germination. To allow the state’s growers and other interested parties to check the status and results of the testing, NCDA&CS implemented an online Cotton Testing Portal, which to date has been accessed more than 600 times by farmers, companies, universities and extension agents, and NCDA&CS staff.