Robert Lemon Professor and Extension Agronomist Cotton Texas

Robert Lemon Professor and Extension Agronomist – Cotton Texas Agri. Life Extension Service

Planted Acres in the Southwest 2007 and Change from 2006 25% 50, 000 -57% 55, 000 -13% 175, 000 -45% 4, 930, 000 -24%

Variety Dynamics Transgenic Varieties (% acres) Roundup Ready Flex Varieties (% acres) Kansas 100 51 New Mexico 95 47 Oklahoma 99 77 Texas 87 34 USDA-AMS Cotton Varieties Planted 2007 Crop

Kansas Ø Good moisture through early fruiting then sporadic rainfall during boll-fill Ø Statewide Average Yield – 533 lbs/acre Oklahoma Ø Early season cool good rainfall Ø June – high rainfall heavier textured soils waterlogged conditions – heavy fruit shed late season potassium deficiency Ø Good fall weather conditions Ø Statewide Average Yield – 873 lbs/acre

2007 – High Plains Conditions • Spring cool and wet • Difficulty planting with optimum • • • conditions in many areas Outstanding rainfall in most areas Many fields “ 10 days to two weeks behind” based on “normal” bloom dates Heat Units - Substantially higher than normal for August, September, October

• • 2 nd largest crop ever in Texas 8. 145 million bales High Plains record quality with all fiber properties excellent – Lubbock AMS Office has classed 1. 516 million bales • 90% is 21 or better color, avg. 2. 3 leaf, • 35. 94 staple (65. 7% 36 or longer), • 4. 09 mic (10. 8% low, 3% high), • 1. 4% bark, • 29. 59 g/tex strength (52. 4% 30 or greater), • 80. 67% uniformity (58. 6% is 81 or better)

Eastern and South Texas Ø Early season very cool temperatures Ø Mid to late June crop looked great - 2 to 3 bale potential Ø July excessive rainfall 15 to 20 inches – poor fruit set Ø August and September rainfall continued Ø Crop 3 to 5 weeks late Ø Harvest problems – as late as November

Picker Use in High Plains

Nitrogen Management PGR Management Harvest Aid Management Earliness Irrigation Take a 12” sample Likely save some $$$ 150 lbs. N/acre

Weed Management Systems ØResistance issues ØSoil applied herbicides ØTechnologies