Morgan provides an overview of cotton acreage, yield trends, and adoption of herbicide-tolerant traits in Texas and across the Cotton Belt. Additionally, he addresses the challenges that occurred in 2018 and the potential concerns for pest and nutrient management in Texas. Finally, he considers plastic contamination: an issue that has the potential to reduce market opportunities for U.S. cotton and will directly affect cotton prices for bales classed as an Extraneous Matter code 71 or 72. Nearly three-quarters of all the plastic found in the 2017 classed samples were yellow or pink plastic and were attributed to the round modules. Minimizing plastic contamination in U.S. cotton must be addressed at the grower and ginner levels. Identifying ways to identify and remove plastic from the gin is a major research priority by National Cotton Council, Cotton, Inc., the USDA, and university scientists.
