1. EVALUATION OF PLANT GROWTH ENHANCEMENT PRODUCTS ON LOW DESERT COTTON
MICHAEL D. RETHWISCH
FORMERLY UCCE – RIVERSIDE
CURRENTLY UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA EXTENSION - BUTLER COUNTY
451 N. 5TH STREET, DAVID CITY, NE
(402) (760) (cell)

2. PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR/ ENHANCEMENT PRODUCT TRIALS
ENHANCEMENT PRODUCTS DISCUSSED TODAY INCLUDE:
BM86 (AGRIMAR CORP.)
FOLIGRO AMINOFOL MAXIMIZE (WILBUR ELLIS COMPANY)
STANCE (BAYER CROP SCIENCE)

3. LARGE SCALE FIELD TRIALS
~1,200 FT LONG ROWS
8-12 ROWS PER PLOT
6 REPLICATIONS FOR STANCE EXPERIMENT (1 YEAR)
4 REPLICATIONS FOR OTHER PRODUCTS
BM86 TESTED 2 CONSECUTIVE YEARS
COMMERCIALLY HARVESTED

4. BM86, MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE, AND AMINOFOL FOLIGRO MAXIMIZE TRIAL (2006)
GOEMAR BM86: , 2.4 Mg, 3.2 S, 2 B, 0.6 Na, 0.02 Mb
SEAWEED/KELP EXTRACT, THEREFORE THOUGHT TO HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF CYTOKININS WHICH PROMOTE PLANT GROWTH
ALSO CONTAINS VARIOUS POLYAMINES, HELPS FIGHT STRESS

5. FOLI-GRO AMINOFOL MAXIMIZE
5% CALCIUM
1.25% ZINC
0.25% ATCA (CARBOXYLIC ACID)

6. TREATMENTS FOR 2006 EXPERIMENT WERE
BM86 APPLIED ONCE (Early bloom = June 9-10)
BM86 APPLIED TWICE (Early bloom & early boll = July 7)
MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE (Early bloom)
BM86 + MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE (One (early) vs. 2 applications)
BM86 + MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE + FOLI-GRO AMINOFOL MAXIMIZE (2 applications)

7. ADDITIONAL 2006 INFORMATION
PLOTS CONSISTED OF 11 ROWS OF DPL164 B2RF AND 1 ROW OF DPL 167RF
MIXING SEQUENCE DIFFERED BETWEEN APPLICATIONS (JUNE WAS MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE 1ST WITH BM86 ADDED NEXT; JULY WAS BM86 1ST, THEN MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE ADDED)

8. 2005 SEED COTTON YIELDS DLP 449BR/494R COTTON

9. SEED COTTON YIELDS OF DPL164B2RF/167RF (LBS./ACRE)

10. COTTON LINT TURNOUT % AS AFFECTED BY TREATMENT

11. COTTON SEED TURNOUT % AS AFFECTED BY TREATMENT

12. COTTON LINT YIELDS OF DPL164 B2RF (LBS./ACRE)

13. COTTON LINT STRENGTH (G/TEX) AS AFFECTED BY TREATMENT

14. COTTON LINT LENGTH (1/100”) AS AFFECTED BY TREATMENT

15. COTTON LINT UNIFORMITYAS AFFECTED BY TREATMENT

16. COTTON LINT MICRONAIREAS AFFECTED BY TREATMENT

17. Economic values of DPL 164B2RF/DPL 167RF cotton, Ripley, CA, 2006.
Economic values of lint
Treatment and rate/acre (¢/lb) $/acre $ vs. check
BM86 (June 9-10) , $
BM86 (June 9-10, July 7) , $158.33
BM86 + Mepiquat chloride , $
(June 9-10)
BM86 + Mepiquat chloride , $
(June 9-10, July 7)
BM86 + Mepiquat chloride , $
+ Aminofol Foligro Maximize
Mepiquat chloride 16 oz , $
(June 9-10 )
Untreated Check ,

18. ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS/ QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE
2ND APPLICATION OF BM86 + MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE RESULTED IN LOWER YIELDS. WHY? WAS IT DUE TO MIXING SEQUENCE?
ADDITION OF FOLI-GRO AMINOFOL MAXIMIZE TO ABOVE TREATMENT INCREASED VALUE BY ALMOST $90/ACRE. THIS ALSO RESULTED IN HIGHEST QUALITY FIBERS (LONGER, STRONGER, ETC.).

19. ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS/ QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE
RESPONSE OF DPL164 B2RF COTTON TO BM86 + AMINOFOL COMBINATION (SANS MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE) IS UNKNOWN, ALTHOUGH 2006 DATA INDICATE THIS MAY BE AN EXCELLENT COMBINATION
2ND APPLICATION OF BM86 INCREASED VALUE BY $107/ACRE OVER ONE APPLICATION. UNKNOWN RESULTS IF APPLICATION OCCURS ONLY IN JULY AT BOLL (ARE RESULTS ADDITIVE OR INDEPENDENT?)

20. COMPARISON OF STANCE AND MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE ON DPL164B2RF COTTON
STANCE IS A COMBINATION PLANT GROWTH REGUALATOR PRODUCT (Bayer CropScience)
CONTAINS 8.4% MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE AND 2.1% CYCLANALIDE (1-(2,4-dichloro- phenylaminocarbonyl)-cyclopropane carboxylic acid)
2 RATES OF STANCE (2, 3 OZ./ACRE) COMPARED WITH 12 OZ./ACRE OF 4.2% MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE

21. STANCE APPLIED ON JULY 1 COTTON AT 4 BOLL STAGE, NEARING CUTOUT
PLOTS 8 ROW WIDE X FIELD LENGTH
DIFFERENCES NOTED DUE TO TREATMENTS IN CHLOROPHYLL READINGS OBTAINED WITH SPAD 502 METER IN LATE JULY
PLOTS HARVESTED IN MID DECEMBER 2006

22. Mean chlorophyll levels of DPL 164B2RF cotton following plant growth regulator application on July 1, 2006, Ripley, CA.
Sample Date
TREATMENT Rate/acre July 17 July 24 Aug. 2
STANCE oz a 46.8 b 48.3a
STANCE oz a 45.5 b 46.25ab
MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE oz a 51.6a 48.05a
UNTREATED CHECK a 54.3a b

23. EXPLANATIONS FOR DIFFERENCES NOTED
JULY 17 – HIGHER LEAF CHLOROPHYLL SENESCENCE LEVELS NOTED AS AMOUNT OF MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE CONTAINED IN TRETAMENTS INCREASED

24. EXPLANATIONS FOR DIFFERENCES NOTED
JULY 24 - CARBOXYLIC ACID PART OF STANCE THOUGHT TO INCREASE PLANT GROWTH RATES
PLANTS TREATED WITH THIS COMPOUND THOUGHT TO BE COMING OUT OF CUT-OUT EARLIER, HENCE LOWER LEAF CHLOROPHYLL SENESCENCE READINGS

25. VISIBLE DIFFERENCES AFTER HARVEST IN DECEMBER (MORE BOLL CARPELS REMAINING ON STANCE TREATED PLANTS) UNTREATED left (GRAPEFRUIT ON GROUND BETWEEN PLOTS) STANCE right

26. DPL 164 B2RF COTTON SEED YIELDS – STANCE EXPERIMENT

27. 2006 YIELD RESULTS
STANCE TREATED COTTON HAD HIGHER TURNOUT PERCENTAGES (31.9%) THAN DID UNTREATED (30.4%) OR MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE TREATED COTTON (30.9%)

28. DPL 164 B2RF COTTON LINT YIELDS – STANCE EXPERIMENT

29. DPL 164B2RF COTTON SEED TURNOUT %

30. 2006 YIELD RESULTS – LINT CHARACTERISTICS
ALL TREATMENTS WERE GRADE 31, AND STAPLE = 35, ALTHOUGH STANCE 2 OZ TREATED COTTON WAS 1.10” AND ALL OTHER COTTON WAS 1.09”

31. DPL 164B2RF COTTON LINT STRENGTH

32. DPL 164B2RF COTTON LINT UNIFORMITY

33. 2006 YIELD RESULTS – LINT CHARACTERISTICS, COTTON PRICE
NO DIFFERENCES IN VALUE PER POUND OF LINT DUE TO TREATMENTS IN THIS EXPERIMENT, THEREFORE ALL VALUE DIFFERENCES DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO AMOUNT OF LINT/ACRE

34. DPL 164 B2RF COTTON LINT $ VALUE PER ACRE

35. DPL 164B2RF COTTON LINT $ VALUE PER ACRE VS. UNTREATED

36. CLOSING OBSERVATIONS/ QUESTIONS
UNKNOWN RESULTS FOR DESERT COTTON IF TREATED TWICE WITH STANCE
DPL164B2RF COTTON TREATED WITH ONLY MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE PROVIDED SIMILAR ECONOMIC RESULTS IN BOTH THE BM86 EXPERIMENT ($30.36/ACRE MORE THAN CHECK) AS THE STANCE EXPERIMENT ($33.27/ACRE INCREASE IN VALUE)

37. CLOSING OBSERVATIONS/ QUESTIONS
DPL164B2RF COTTON HEIGHT IS HELD BACK SLIGHTLY BY A SINGLE APPLICATION OF MEPIQUAT CHLORIDE, DATA INDICATE THAT PLANT GROWS TALLER THAN CHECK WHEN PLANT RESUMES GROWTH

38. QUESTIONS?