MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station will hold a research and demonstration tour Thursday, July 15. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m.

The station is located on Highway 15 approximately 7 miles south of Pontotoc.

Research activities with corn, cotton, soybeans and sweet potatoes will be highlighted during the tour of the station’s research fields.

Mississippi State University Extension grain specialist Erick Larson will update producers on this year’s grain crop situation and discuss corn production practices and hybrid varieties. Producers also will see demonstrations of corn weed control systems.

At the soybean stop on the tour, MSU Extension soybean production specialist Alan Blaine will present key management practices to boost soybean yields. Several seed company representative also will be on hand to discuss the characteristics and differences of maturity group III, IV and V soybean varieties.

MSU research scientists Mark Shankle and Jack Reed will highlight weed and insect control strategies in sweetpotatoes using a systems approach. Systems discussed will include herbicide rate, application type and timing, and cultivation. In addition, there will be a presentation of entries into the National Sweetpotato Collaborators variety trial.

Also at the sweetpotato stop, Extension area agronomist Bill Burdine will update producers on issues related to the current crop.

Extension cotton specialist Tom Barber will give a presentation on no-tillage cotton production. Also at the cotton stop will be a discussion by USDA-Agricultural Research Service research scientist Haile Tewolde of the use of poultry litter as a fertilizer source. In addition, seed company representatives will provide information on the latest cotton varieties.

Following the tour there will be a lunch sponsored by companies supporting the station’s research program.

Contact: Dr. Mark Shankle 662-489-4621