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Show Ag Researchers Tackle Problem Of Farm Costs cist at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, says it's possible to do this through specialized breeding lines. Short-season cottons tested in three different temperature environments last year yielded mature bolls in a much shorter time than standard varieties, Ray notes. "Boll maturation periods were shortest in the highest temperature environment and lint quality was not adversely affected," the geneticist said. Perfection of short-season varieties va-rieties would mean a reduction in energy inputs, plus an earlier harvest that would lessen the risk of insect infestations requiring re-quiring heavy use of pesticides. Agricultural scientists are delving del-ving into a mixed bag of tricks to help farmers combat mounting mount-ing production costs, energy shortages, and increasing restrictions re-strictions on pesticides. In cotton, for example, re- searchers are exploring a variety va-riety of approaches from new cultural practices to retailoring the cotton plant. One promising approach, re-, re-, ports the National Cotton Council, has to do with shortening short-ening cotton's growing season. Dr. Levon Ray, cotton geneti- |