Variety Tests
Auburn University Official Variety Testing ProgramResearch /
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.
OVT Mission
The mission of the Auburn University Official Variety Testing Program (OVT) 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.
Variety Categories
Corn
Cotton
Soybean
Peanut
Small Grains
Small Grain Forages
Ryegrass
Grain Sorghum
Sesame
Variety Testing Team
OVT Terms and Conditions
Frequently Asked Questions
Using the Variety Selection Tool
Auburn OVT on Facebook
Contact
Henry Jordan
Variety Testing Manager, Research Associate IV
Department of Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences
305 W Samford Ave, Room 2204 (USPS)
1031 South Donahue Dr (FedEx & UPS)
Auburn Univ, AL 36849
Subscribe to AU Variety Testing Updates
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.
2023 Soybean Variety Trial Entry Form
February 1, 2023 - Entry forms for the 2023 Auburn University Official Soybean Variety Trials (OVTs) are now available. Entry forms are due by March 17th. Seed is due by March 24th. Entries can be submitted in one or more of the following categories: Early Planted...
2022-2023 Forage Cold Damage Update
During the 2022 Christmas break, Alabama experienced a SEVERE cold snap. What makes this event unusual is how fast temperatures dropped. It went from t-shirt weather to sub-freezing overnight, and temperatures remained below freezing for several days. As a result,...
2023 Corn Variety Trial Entry Form
January 10, 2023 - Entry forms for the 2023 Auburn University Official Corn Variety Trials (OVTs) are now available. Entry forms are due by February 17th. Seed is due by March 1st. Entries can be submitted by region (North, Central, South). The North and South...
Performance of Cotton Varieties in Alabama, 2022
January 9 Lint yields and quality have been uploaded for eleven of the on-farm variety trials. January 4 The analytics portion of the Variety Selection Platform has been updated. There are now presets to save time getting to some of the most popular selections....
Performance of Soybean Cultivars in Alabama, 2022
December 7 Yield data is available for the following OVTs at the Black Belt Research and Extension Center (BBREC) in Marion Junction. Sumter Soil MG4 MG5 MG6 MG7/8 Vaiden Soil MG4 MG5 MG6 MG7/8 Yield data is available for the Escambia County On-Farm trial November 30...
Performance of Corn Hybrids in Alabama, 2022
November 16 - Yield data is available for the following on-farm trials. Chilton County Barbour County Dale County Pike County October 18 - Yield data is available for the OVT at the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center (SMREC) in Crossville. October 12 - Yield...
Performance of Grain Sorghum in Alabama, 2022
October 17 Yield data is available for the grain sorghum OVT at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center (WREC) in Headland. Please note that the season total rainfall for this trial was only 8.66 inches. WREC Sorghum Trial Page WREC Sorghum Analytics
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,...