College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)
Abstract
Eight short staple varieties were evaluated for severity of symptoms, percent of plants infected and yield while being grown in a Verticillium nursery on the Safford Agricultural Center. Delta Pine 90 showed the least severe symptoms, had the least number of infected plants and also yielded the highest. Another Delta Pine variety, DP 77, showed moderate symptoms and a 96% infection rate, but it still managed to come in third in yield, only 49 pounds per acre behind DP 90. Yield potential and varietal adaptability must be considered along with Verticillium wilt resistance in deciding what variety to plant, even in a field infested with Verticillium
