Don Boquet, an LSU AgCenter faculty member, was named Cotton Researcher of the Year at the recent National Conservation Tillage Cotton and Rice Conference in Marksville, La.

Boquet, who holds the Jack E. and Henrietta Jones Endowed Professorship in Cotton Genetics, Production and/or Physiology in the LSU AgCenter, was recognized for his significant work in practical and cost-effective best management practices that will protect surface water bodies from nonpoint source pollution originating from agricultural land.

A staff member of the LSU AgCenter’s Northeast and Macon Ridge research stations since 1982, Boquet conducts field agent training and outreach and service activities for producers though individual farm visits and parish, regional and state meetings.

Boquet’s research programs include soybeans, cotton and feed grains responses to fertilizers, irrigation and various production practices. A significant part his work involves the evaluation of varieties and new strains of cotton and soybeans as part of the statewide variety testing programs.

Boquet received his doctorate in plant breeding from LSU in 1974. He has a bachelor’s degree in applied science from Nicholls State University and a master’s degree in agronomy from LSU.

The National Conservation Tillage Cotton and Rice Conference brings together farmers and crop consultants from Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee to learn about reducing production costs and increasing yields in cotton, rice, soybeans and corn through precision agriculture, according to conference organizers.