Specialists Speaking
2022 Cotton Crop Update ALABAMA Steve M. Brown
What a wild season! Wet conditions delayed initial field activities, but once planting began, we soon ran short on moisture, challenging efforts to achieve adequate stands. June included some of the hottest early summer temperatures in memory. Tough on crops, animals and people. By July 4, portions of north Alabama were parched, while the Gulf Coast was wet, wet. Mid-July brought needed rain to most areas, and, of course, excessive amounts in Southwest Alabama. December futures have been comparable to a ROCKET and a ROCK. Price went up and up and up and still up, peaking above $1.30, only to free-fall more than 40 cents in just a few days. Palmer amaranth (pigweed) continues to frustrate. This year, I’ve spent enough hours pulling pigweeds to help me predict: “Will this one come up by the roots or break off?” Because he’s bigger and stronger, my graduate student has to be assigned the problem plants. That reminds me of a story. When I was a grad student at Auburn, there were several characters in the pool of my peers. The group was traveling one day and pulled into a gas station needing fuel. An “important” Ph.D. student, whose name will not be divulged so as not to further tarnish his reputation, held fast in his seat and announced, “Ph.D. students don’t pump gas,” a declaration poorly received by his beneath-him M.S. students and hourly workers. Weed pulling is hard work, but I’m proud to say we salvaged three large experiments by hours of sweaty exertion. The subsequent crop growth has been remarkable. Yes, John, if the job needs to be done, even old Ph.D.’s can and should pull pigweeds. Questions sometimes arise about an extremely late crop, one planted late or one arrested by severe drought but revived by July rains. How much more should we put into the crop? One thing worth investment if there is any hope of a pickable crop is stink bug control. Don’t give up late bolls to stink bugs. Yes, control weeds, if possible. More fertilizer is usually not the answer. But late bolls need to be protected. cottonbrown@ auburn.edu
ARKANSAS Bill Robertson
The Arkansas Crop Progress and Condition Report released by USDA-NASS mid-July estimates crop development similar to that observed last year but slightly behind our five-year average. Our crop condition is still holding in the heat and dry conditions, with 45% rated as good and 35% rated as excellent. Due to the lack of rainfall, many fields do not have the plant height we are accustomed to seeing. However, we were at or close to our goal of having nine to 10 nodes above our first position white flower at first flower on our cotton that irrigation initiation was accomplished in a timely fashion. For many, the first irrigation on cotton was two weeks earlier than last year. Dryland cotton is taking it on the chin. Our big salvation through mid-July was that nighttime temperatures were not excessive as we sometimes see. Mornings were still cooling down. Cotton fields that did not receive a timely start for irrigation were at or near cutout by mid-July, about two weeks earlier than we generally see. Tracking nodes above white flower (NAWF) from first flower to cutout (NAWF=5) can offer great insight on the condition and potential of
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COTTON FARMING | AUGUST 2022
the crop. Our goal is to use this tool to aid in crop termination. General termination guidelines include: plant bug, cutout + 250 HU; bollworm, and tobacco budworm, cutout + 350 HU; stink bug, cutout + 450 HU; fall armyworm, cutout + 500-550 HU; defoliating insects’ cutout + 650 HU; harvest aid initiation cutout + 850 HU. As we go into August, we must continue to manage this crop in a timely fashion to maintain our yield and quality potential. For more information, contact your local county Extension agent. brobertson@uada.edu
ARIZONA Randy Norton
In my travels around the state in recent weeks, I have observed cotton fields at all stages of development. The western part of the state has now been terminated and is prepping for harvest. The remainder of the state is at varying stages of bloom from peak bloom to cutout. For the most part — as of this writing — the crop is in good condition. Fruit retention levels have remained above average for the majority of the season, and weather conditions have been conducive to producing a better-than-average crop. As we approach the final stages of the season, decisions will be made within the next several weeks related to crop termination — or the date of final irrigation on many acres across the state. This can be a difficult decision to make given all the factors that need to be considered including current fruit load, crop vigor, soil water-holding capacity and potential heat unit (HU) accumulation. A total of approximately 600 HU are required for a fresh bloom to mature to a harvestable boll. Sufficient soil moisture is required to maintain good plant and water relations during this period of fiber development or boll fill. A good way to determine the date of your final irrigation is to identify the last flower intended for harvest and the estimated boll maturity date based upon historical HU accumulations (data for boll maturity estimates can be found at AZMET weather site). A final irrigation date can then be estimated to ensure proper crop water status that sustains boll development through the estimated maturity date. Several factors that provide variation in the amount of water needed to achieve boll maturation need to be considered including soil water-holding capacity, current weather conditions (crop ET estimates) and water availability. More detailed information regarding this topic and others related to late-season crop management can be found at the UArizona Extension website extension.arizona.edu/crops-soils. rnorton@cals.arizona.edu
FLORIDA David Wright
The 2022 cotton season has been more variable for growth due to the spotty rains across the panhandle of Florida. Irrigated cotton has looked good, but some irrigated fields were planted two to three weeks later than normal due to wet areas needing to dry. Late-planted cotton needs August blooms to help with yield. Late-season insect control is critical to finishing up with high yields. Stink bugs are present in many other crops, and cotton is especially attractive as the other crops begin drying down. Bolls develop after blooming throughout the month of August and end about the first week of September in the Deep South. Young bolls are susceptible to damage from stink bugs for about three weeks after bloom. This means that protection is necessary into September on late-planted cotton. Cotton should have adequate water throughCOTTONFARMING.COM
