Weekly in-season Updates
|
INFORMATION |
June 5, 2006 Talkin’ Cotton
Cotton that seemed to have ample moisture at planting has been drying out after the plant has become established. Fortunately, this does not happen very often, but when subsoil moisture is depleted, the root is trying to grow from an area in the soil that has been moist due to a rain into an area that is deeper in the profile that does not have adequate moisture. This is called false planting moisture, and it has fooled many of our producers (me included) into thinking we have adequate moisture for the plant to get established. Last fall and winter were the driest in many years, and our subsoil moisture is non-existent. Even areas that have received enough rainfall to provide runoff did not replenish much subsoil moisture. Much of our cotton that is suffering is in the second or third true leaf, it has used all the shallow moisture that is available, and there is no deeper moisture. The plant will be showing signs of stress, internode spacing will be one eighth to one fourth inch, and the lower roots will be thin and turning brown. All we can do is hope for rainfall.
|