Searching for the best cotton seed varieties to grow in Kenya?
If you are farming cotton as a business, your goal should be making the highest profits. Luckily your seed variety selection can be the answer. you either plant the seed with high-quality yields or one that is cheaper to produce.
In this blog post, learn about the 6 best cotton varieties in Kenya given their yields.
How to Select the Best Cotton Seeds
How do you select the best cotton seed? According to our guide on selecting seeds, here are the top factors to consider.
- Yield potential; Select the seed variety that gives you the highest kilograms/hectare under your agroecological zone.
- Produce/ Lint quality; your cotton seed of choice should give your large boll sizes, longer staples, and a higher fiber strength.
- Maturity Period; Since the cotton plant is a drought-tolerant crop, choose a variety that matures to harvest within a short period.
- Hybrid seeds; Compared to conventional seeds, hybrid seeds will give you almost double yields of better produce quality earning you more money per kg.
- Tolerance to cotton pests & diseases; The cost of cotton production in Kenya is relatively high, to ensure you make good profits, select a superior seed; hybrid or GMO variety, that has resistance to bollworms hence cheap to produce.
In this post, we will give you a cotton seed selection guide for you. You will learn the following.
Read Next; Is cotton farming in Kenya profitable?
Types of cotton seed varieties in Kenya.
There are 10 registered cotton seed varieties in Kenya. You can classify them into three types; Conventional seeds or open-pollinated, hybrid seeds, and GMO seed varieties (BGII).
The table below gives you a summary of those seed varieties and their yield potential per hectare.
| Variety | Yield (kg/ha) | Category |
|---|---|---|
| HART 89M | 3000 | Conventional |
| KSA 81M | 2500 | conventional |
| HA 211 | 5,700 | Hybrid |
| HA701 | 5,700 | Hybrid |
| C567 | 6,000 | Hybrid |
| C569 | 6,000 | Hybrid |
| C570 | 6,000 | Hybrid |
| C571 | 6,000 | Hybrid |
| C567 BG II | 6,000 | GMO |
| C569 BG II | 6,000 | GMO |
| C570 BG II | 6,000 | GMO |
| C571 BG II | 6,000 | GMO |
Open Pollinated Cotton Seeds in Kenya
Hart 89M
Hart 89M cotton variety is grown in Central, Eastern Kenya, and Coast provinces. It is a conventional variety that is drought and heat-tolerant. Besides it has the ability to regrow after a dry spell.
- It matures in 300 days in Central and Eastern regions and only 150 days on the Coast.
- Suitable for altitude range of 1400 m.a.s.l
KSA81M
It is a self-pollinated variety. It was released in Kenya in 1998 for cotton growing areas of Nyanza, Western, and Rift Valley cotton growing areas.
- moderates yields of 2000kg/ha
- It gives 38% gin outturn. (GoT).
- Suitable for arid areas with very low rainfall
- It is a medium maturing variety & it takes 4 to 4.5 months to mature.
- Resistant to jassids.
- can withstand water logging typical in black cotton soils.
BT (GMO) cotton seed varieties (BGII)
These seed varieties are hybrid seeds that have been genetically modified (GMO). Their gene is incorporated with two Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) proteins Cry1 Ac and Cry2 Ab. This makes the plant to be resistant to key Lepidopteran pests of cotton viz. African Bollworm, Spiny Bollworm, Pink Bollworm, and Tobacco Caterpillar.
MAHYCO C 567 BG II
Medium duration Hybrid with Big Boll Size 11
- Resistance to Bollworm complex
- Medium maturity: 160 to 170 days
- Tolerant to sucking pests
- Boll size: 5 to 5.5 gm
- Staple Length: 30.0 to 30.5 mm
- Fibre Strength: 27.0 to 28.0 g / tex
- Medium hairy leaf surface
MAHYCO C 569 BG II
Medium duration Hybrid with large boll Size
- Resistance to Bollworm complex
- Medium maturity: 160 to 170 days
- Tolerant to sucking insects pests
- Boll size: ~ 5.0 gm
- Staple Length: 30.0 to 31.0 mm
- Fibre Strength: 26.5 to 27.0 g / tex
- Sparse hairy leaves
MAHYCO C 570 BG II
Early duration very large boll size Hybrid
- Resistance to Bollworm complex
- Early maturity: 150 to 160 days
- Tolerant to sucking insects pests
- Boll size: ~ 5.5 gm
- Staple Length: 30.0 to 31.0 mm
- Fibre Strength: 27 to 28 g / tex
- Sparse hairy leaves
MAHYCO C 571 BG II
Early-duration Hybrid with Good Tolerance to Sucking Pests
- Resistance to Bollworm complex
- Early maturity: 150 to 160 days
- Boll size: 4.5 gm 12
- Staple Length: 30.0 to 30.5 mm
- Fibre Strength: 26.5 to 27.0 g / tex
- Sparse hairy leaf surface
Why you should grow GMO cotton seeds?
GMOs Cotton seeds are a new technology in Kenya. They have attracted a heated debate with some people being pro-Gmo and others anti-adoption. Given cotton is a non-food crop, it has been widely adopted. Below are the top benefits or advantages of these seed varieties.
GMO has a higher quality lint that is white and clean than conventional varieties since it has low damage to the cotton bolls by bollworms
Read Next: What You Need To Know About GMO Foods?
GMO cotton is safer for humans and the natural environment due to its use of integrated pest management (IPM) and little use and exposure to pesticides. For instance, since the built-in resistance targets a specific range of insects only, non-targeted species such as bees are safer.
It’s cheaper to produce GMO cotton since there are relatively lower costs of spraying labor and purchasing pesticides
Finally, the use of GMO technology is effective in controlling a wide range of Lepidopteran pests of cotton viz. African Bollworm, Spiny Bollworm, Pink Bollworm and Tobacco Caterpillar
