Examining the unusual increase in seed coat fragments in cotton produced in the Southeast.
The 2020 cotton season didn t end well for some Southeast cotton. The USDA Classing Office in Macon, Ga., has classed 2.2 million samples. Approximately 895,000 contained seed coat fragments, which can discount the value of that cotton.
A portion of samples taken at the office also contained whole cotton seed.
On Jan. 5, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue directed the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to work with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to raise awareness and further examine the unusual increase in seed coat fragments in cotton produced in the Southeast.