Josh Bushong NW Area Agronomy Specialist Oklahoma State University Cotton Establishment Josh Bushong NW Area Agronomy Specialist Oklahoma State University
Cotton Situation Complicated & Expensive Rotation with grain crops Good in no-till systems Biotechnology advantages Varietal improvements Yield and Quality
Soil Profile Moisture???
Soil Profile Moisture???
Cotton Questions… When to plant? What seeding rate? Variety selection? Preplant fertility? What traits?
Stand Establishment
2018 USDA-RMA Non-Irrigated Cotton Final Planting Dates for Insurance Purposes Cimarron Texas Beaver Harper Grant Kay 700 10,015 4,797 Woods 126 Alfalfa 2,206 6,289 324 Osage 938 Noble 1,161 Major Garfield Ellis 1,661 359 Payne Dewey June 20 June 10 May 31 536 Blaine Kingfisher 3,199 667 Roger Mills Lincoln 3,303 Custer 945 11,122 Canadian 2,555 Beckham Washita 16,050 41,102 Cleveland 26,012 Caddo Grady Pottawatomie 28,985 4,134 313 185 44,775 Kiowa Greer Mcclain 40,187 Harmon Comanche Garvin Jackson 18,454 143,811 Stephens Coal Tillman 1,483 133,524 14,756 Cotton 248 Atoka Jefferson Marshall 97 Love 301 Bryan Mccurtain 331 555
When to Plant? Optimal germination at 85°F 3-day Mesonet Soil Temps. 65°F at 4” Dry Five Day Forecast At least 25 DD60 heat units DD60 = ((Max + Min)/2) - 60 Minimum air temps above 50°F
Predictive DD60 Following Planting Five-Day DD60 Forecast Predictive DD60 Following Planting Outlook for Planting <10 Very poor 11-15 Poor 16-25 Marginal 26-50 Good >51 Very good
Cool Soils Slow germination Can lead to poor stands Seedling disease pathogens Reduced seedling vigor
Injury from Chilled Soils Dead root tip N. Hopper (TTU) and J. Burke (USDA-ARS)
Seedlings grown at 86°F 1st 6 hrs of imbibition at 40°F Taproot??? N. Hopper (TTU) and J. Burke (USDA-ARS)
Cool Soils Slow germination Can lead to poor stands Seedling disease pathogens Reduced seedling vigor Request Cool Germination Test Data, >60% germ good
Seeding Rates Dryland 25-30K seed/A Irrigated 40-50K seed/A No more than 4-5 seeds per foot in 40” rows Plains Cotton Growers Seed Cost Calculator available at www.plainscotton.org
Variety Selection OSU Factsheet PSS-2119 Cotton.okstate.edu Maturity, Yield Potential, Fiber Quality, Storm Resistance, Pest Resistance/Tolerance, Biotech Traits, Seed Quality & Cost Cotton.okstate.edu
Soil Fertility
Root Development
Cotton is NOT a Grain Crop
Fertility Recommendations Nothing in-furrow Be careful with Nitrogen P and K by soil sampling High K demand 70% total uptake by 1st bloom 3lb/day during boll development
Nitrogen Requirements Yield goal (bales/A) N requirement 1.0 50 1.5 75 2.0 100 3.0 150 3.5 and > 175
Nitrogen Increase by 20-30 lb if in no-till or if surface applied Residual NO3-N in 0-18” soil N in irrigation water
Excessive Nitrogen Incr. Verticillium Wilt Incr. cotton aphid populations Incr. plant growth Delay maturity Challenge harvest aid perf. Decr. Fiber quality
New Traits Auxin herbicide tolerance Bollgard 3 Bt Technology Dicamba – Xtendflex 2,4-D – Enlist Bollgard 3 Bt Technology
Comments Monitor soil temps and forecasts for planting date Manage for early vigor Limit nitrogen Frequent field scouting to protect yield potential
Thanks! Josh Bushong NW Area Agronomist Oklahoma State University Twitter: @TallOkie_67 Facebook: /NWAreaOSUExtension