Cotton Seeding Rates: How Low Can We Go?

Rising costs of planting seed and technology fees for cotton have led some producers to reduce their seeding rates in an effort to control costs. How far we can turn down the planter without hurting lint yield, fiber quality, and the bottom line?  Three years of research conducted in two fields at the Milan Research & Education Center in Tennessee addresses those questions.  The answer depends not only on the field environment, but also the row spacing and planting pattern.