Tradeoffs Between Lint Yield and Earliness of Maturity in Tennessee

This review of earlier Tennessee research illustrates the tradeoffs that cotton producers face in managing crop maturity in a short-season environment.  Earlier crop maturity may improve yields in years with relatively little heat-unit accumulation, but not in years with abundant heat units.  Yield and maturity effects of variety selection, PGRs, row spacing, planting pattern, nitrogen fertilization, and irrigation are reviewed.   Talk is presented by last year’s recipient of the Outstanding Research Award in Cotton Physiology.