Yield, Quality, and Profitability of Cotton Produced at Varying Plant Densities
By C. Bednarz, W. Shurley, W. S. Anthony, Robert L. Nichols. Agronomy Journal, 2005
117 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Modifying fruit distribution through varying plant density may impact cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fiber quality. This study was conducted to determine how lint yield, fiber quality, and profitability of cotton may be manipulated through plant density. Two cotton cultivars were overseeded and hand-thinned to 3.6, 9.0, 12.6, and 21.5 plants m -2 at two University of Georgia experiment stations in 2001 and 2002. After the studies were machine-harvested each year, the seed cotton was shipped to the USDA-ARS Cotton Ginning Research Unit in Stoneville, MS, for ginning. While ginning, six lint samples were collected per plot and delivered to Cotton Incorporated (Cary, NC) for fiber quality analyses. Net returns were then calculated from yield, quality, and seed cost data. Lint yields were greatest at 12.6 plants m -2 and lowest at 3.6 plants m -2 . Of the fiber properties investigated, micronaire and fineness were most affected by plant density. In addition, quality adjustments in price were greatest for micronaire. Thus, avoidance of price discounts for high-micronaire fiber may occur through adjustments in seeding rate and plant density. Net returns above seed costs were greatest at 12.6 plants m -2 for both cultivars. One cultivar consistently outperformed the other in fiber quality. Results from this study support the findings of others that fiber properties are highly genetically influenced. Thus, to maximize fiber quality, cultivar selection is of greatest importance while management of plant density to maintain or maximize genetic potential is secondary.
Subfields: Plant Science
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/364528c2f35b353544938f48b686f341706a84c4
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Citations in the corpus
- Managing mepiquat chloride and plant density for optimal yield and quality of cotton (2013, background): “However, other factors such as genotype and agronomic management affecting fiber quality (Bednarz et al., 2005).”
- Effect of nitrogen on seed cotton yield and fiber qualities of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars. (2010, background): “strength is influenced by both genetics and environmental conditions (Bednarz et al., 2005).”
- Yield, quality and leaf senescence of cotton grown at varying planting dates and plant densities in the Yellow River Valley of China (2006, background): “There are a number of factors influencing fiber quality, of which cultivar is of greatest importance while agronomic management is secondary (Bednarz et al., 2005).”