Commercial cultivation of glandless cotton (cotton plants with reduced or no gossypol) will widen the utility of cotton seed beyond its present main use as ruminant animal feed, producing higher income for cotton growers in New Mexico and the Beltwide states as a whole. An Upland cultivar of glandless cotton (Acala GLS) developed for California conditions was evaluated in New Mexico and compared to conventional glanded Acala cultivars (Acala 1517-08 and Acala 1517-99) developed in New Mexico. Four environments (two experimental stations and two commercial farm sites) were selected for testing. Planting was on one m row-spaced beds and irrigation was by furrows and/or sprinklers. A randomized complete block design was used at the research sites (Las Cruces and Artesia, NM), while paired comparisons were used for the commercial farm sites (Anthony and Garfield, NM). The Acala GLS cultivar generally had lower yields (about 12% lower at the research sites) compared to Acala 1517-08. At one of the commercial farm sites, Acala 1517-99 yielded over 50% more than Acala GLS. Fiber quality parameters of the cultivars were very good and within a similar range except for micronaire which was slightly better in the glandless cultivar at the research sites. Location, year and location x year effects were also significant on yield components. This study highlights the need for the development of more adaptable glandless cotton for the New Mexico environment and the need to study seasonal pest pressure for any emerging new insect pests.
