Auburn University
Variety Testing Program
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Variety selection is the most important decision a farmer can make. If farmers want to be successful, they must ensure that they plant varieties that are well adapted. If a farmer selects the wrong variety, the results can be catastrophic. Typically, farmers do not have the resources to conduct variety trials in addition to their normal growing season activities.
Variety evaluation is also critical to plant breeders, both from universities and industry. Prior to releasing a new variety, these breeders typically evaluate their lines in independent variety trials. This ensures that they have unbiased data from multiple years and locations to support the release of their new variety.
The mission of the Auburn University Variety Testing Program is to provide research-based, unbiased results on the performance of various crop hybrids, cultivars, and varieties to the agricultural community in Alabama. We are intent on conducting these trials in a manner that will result in maximum biological yield through methods common to the top-producing farms in Alabama.
We are committed to providing this information in a timely manner for its use during the decision-making process. The success of the program rests on our ability to help Alabama producers provide a safe, dependable source of food and fiber for all families as well as an economic sustainability for theirs.
![Henry Jordan](https://aaes.auburn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/sites/2/2024/07/AAES-Henry-Jordan-Headshot-Square-2024.jpg)
Henry Jordan
Variety Testing Manager, Research Associate IV
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Annually, the Auburn University Variety Testing Program conducts trials on corn, cotton, soybeans, peanuts, grain sorghum, wheat, barley, oats, triticale, small grain forages, and ryegrass.
Trials are conducted on Auburn University owned and operated agricultural research stations across the major geographical regions of the state. The research conducted at each of these locations can provide stakeholders with data that can be more representative of their growing conditions.
Central Alabama Field Day 2022
9:00 AM, Tuesday, August 30, 2022 EV Smith Research Center - Plant Breeding Unit Join us as we tour the research conducted at the EV Smith Research Center - Plant Breeding Unit. The field day will include updates Agenda 9:00 AM-9:15 AM - Registration and...
2022 EVSPBU Soybean Trial Impacted by Nematodes
August 17 This season, the Early-Planted MG-4 trial at the EV Smith Research Center (EVSPBU) started off great. However, things took a turn mid-season. In this video, Dr. Eros Francisco - Extension Agronomist, Dr. Kathy Lawrence - Plant Pathologist, Henry Jordan -...
Performance of Small Grain Varieties in Alabama, 2021-2022
August 12 - A subset of barley varieties was selected for quality testing. Quality testing results are now available on the variety selection platform (under the qualtiy tab). Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center - Barley EV Smith Research Center - Barley...
2022-2023 Entry Form – Small Grain Forage Variety Trials at Auburn University
July 18 - Entry forms for the Auburn University Variety Testing - Small Grain Forage Variety Trials are now available. View last season's data here. The deadline for seed is August 27th. For the 2022-2023 season, small grain forage entries will be evaluated for yield...
Performance of Small Grain Forages in Alabama, 2021-2022
August 10 Quality data is now available (variety selection platform only) for the wheat, oat, rye, and triticale trials at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland. Each quality variable now has a "top group" data field for early-season, late-season,...
Performance of Ryegrass Varieties in Alabama, 2021-2022
August 12 - Forage quality data has been added to the PDF document. August 10 Quality data is now available (variety selection platform only) for the ryegrass trial at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center in Headland. This makes two seasons of quality data for...