Two Mississippi State University graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences took home honors from the 2013 Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

Zach Reynolds of Starkville, a master’s student in agronomy, won first place in the poster competition at the Weed Science Technical Conference. He presented his research evaluating the effectiveness of pre- and post-emergence herbicides on Palmer amaranth, commonly called pigweed.

Chase Samples of Ashland, a master’s student in agronomy, won second place in the poster competition at the Agronomy and Physiology Technical Conference. He shared his findings on the effect of nitrogen application rate and plant population on cotton growth, development and yield.

Darrin Dodds, state Extension cotton specialist and graduate adviser to Reynolds and Samples, said the Beltwide Cotton Conferences are the premier conferences for technical information on all aspects of cotton production.

“The conference is designed to quickly transfer relevant research findings and technological advances to increase the industry’s sustainability and productivity,” Dodds said. “The awards received at the 2013 Beltwide Cotton Conferences are reflective of the hard work these students put in throughout the year. It is an honor for me to serve as graduate adviser to such a talented group of students.”