Ability of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) to Recover From Early Season Nitrogen Stress

ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) is an important plant nutrient for cotton production but if poorly managed it could lead to poor lint yield and low nitrogen use efficiency. This study was conducted to evaluate cotton’s ability to recover from earlier season N stress. The effect of preplant (0, 33, 66 and 100 kg N ha-1) and side dress (0, 33, 66, 100 and 134 kg N ha-1) N fertilizer applied at early pinhead square, white flower and 30 days after white flower, on cotton lint yield was investigated at Lake Carl Blackwell (LCB) and Altus, USA. The results indicated that, cotton is able to recover from early season N deficiency and attained near maximum lint yield, if sidedress N is not delayed beyond 30 days after white flower. Split N application resulted to better lint yield both in Altus and LCB. Lint yield positively correlated with NDVI, with the percentage of variation in lint yields explained by NDVI taken at different cotton growth stages ranging from 1% to 25% at LCB and 40% to 73% at Altus. However, for better lint yield prediction, when to collect NDVI differed for each site and season.