Cotton Incorporated
Cotton Incorporated

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        • Satellite Imagery Technology to Manage Variable Soil
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        • Precision Input Cost Reduction
        • Innovative Water Sharing System
        • No-Till, Double-Cropping System Yields Costs Savings
        • Manage Heat with Innovation for Cotton Production
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        • Using Gray Water in Cotton Production
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        • Cotton Cultivated
        • Focus on Cotton
        • Regional Breeders Testing Network
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        • COTMAN™ Crop Management System
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        • Cotton Harvest System Videos
        • Seed Cotton Handling Storage
          • A Brief History of Cotton Modules
          • Case IH Half-Length Modules
          • Forming Covering Conventional Modules
          • John Deere Round Modules
          • Module Covers
          • Module Types
          • Proper Cutting of Plastic Wrap on Round Modules
          • References
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          • What Is at Risk When Seed Cotton Is Stored
        • Stripper Harvesting
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          • Fiber Quality
          • In-Season Procedures
          • Preharvest Preparation
          • References
          • Safety Is Your Responsibility!
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        • The Spindle-Type Cotton Harvester
          • Appendix: Harvest Loss Calculations
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          • Preseason Procedures
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          • Introduction
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        • Cotton Water Requirements
        • Initiating and Terminating Irrigation for the Season
        • Irrigation Scheduling Tools
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        • Management Considerations for Irrigated Cotton
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        • Sensor-Based Scheduling
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        • Why Irrigate Cotton?
        • Why Schedule Irrigation?
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        • ENSO and Cotton Yield Variability
        • Ginning Research
        • Precision Crop Management for Cotton
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      • Entomology
        • Caterpillar
        • Cotton Aphid
        • Plant Bugs
        • Spider Mites
        • Stink Bugs
        • Thrips
        • Whitefly
          • Management of White Fly Resistance to Key Insecticides in Arizona
          • Technical Advisory Committee of the Whitefly Q Biotype Task Force
      • Herbicide Stewardship
        • Herbicide-resistant Weeds Training Lessons
          • Current Status of Herbicide Resistance in Weeds
          • How Herbicides Work
          • Principles of Managing Herbicide Resistance
          • Scouting After a Herbicide Application and Confirming Herbicide Resistance
          • What Is Herbicide Resistance?
        • Take Action Against Herbicide-Resistant Weeds
      • Nematology
        • 2003 Breeding Cotton Nematode Resistance Meeting Presentations
        • 2005 Breeding Cotton for Resistance to Nematodes Meeting Presentations
        • 2007 Genetics of Root Knot Nematode Resistance in Cotton Meeting Presentations
        • 2012 Breeding Cotton for Resistance to Fusarium and Nematodes Meeting Presentations
      • Plant Pathology
        • Research Coordination Meeting on Target Spot Presentations
        • Review of the Bacterial Blight Research Program
      • Variety Improvement
        • Breeder Fiber Sample Information
          • Fiber Sample Packaging and Labeling
          • Packing Enclosure Form
          • Why Bad Samples are Bad
        • Cotton Breeders’ Tour Archives
        • Sample Project Summaries
        • State Variety Trial Data
      • Weed Management
        • Managing Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth
          • Introduction and Overview
          • List of Attendees
          • Palmer Roundtable Summary
          • Research Presentations
            • Colorado Molecular and Basic Research
            • Segregation and what it means in Palmer amaranth
          • Research Programs from Industry
            • Bayer CropScience
            • Monsanto
            • Syngenta
          • Update from States
            • Arkansas
            • Georgia
            • Louisiana
            • Mississippi
            • North Carolina
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            • Summary Discussion
            • Tennessee
      • Meetings, Tours, and Presentations
        • 2019 Cotton Breeder’s Tour
        • Cotton Breeders’ Tours Presentations
        • Conservation Tillage Conferences
          • 2007 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2008 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2009 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
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    • Cotton Quality
      • Classification of Cotton
        • Acknowledgements
        • Classification of American Pima Cotton
        • Classification of Upland Cotton
        • Dissemination of Data
        • Maintaining Official Standards for Classification
        • Overview
        • Quality and Reliability of Classification Data
      • 2018/2019 U.S. Cotton Fiber Chart
        • Bale Sizes
        • Grades of U.S. Cotton
        • HVI® Color Chart
        • Properties of the Growing Regions
        • Ratings of Fiber Properties
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        • Weekly Cotton Crop Quality Report
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        • Final Cotton Crop Quality Summary Reports
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        • 2019 Upland Cotton Loan Calculator
        • 2018 Upland Cotton Loan Calculator
        • 2018 ELS Cotton Loan Calculator
        • 2017 Upland Cotton Loan Calculator
        • 2017 ELS Cotton Loan Calculator
        • 2014 Farm Bill – Farm Program and Insurance Decision Aid
        • The Agricultural & Food Policy Center
        • Cotton Basis Tools
        • Cotton Harvest Cost Comparison Program/Decision Aid
        • Cotton Irrigation Decision Aid
        • Cotton Module Transport Calculator
        • Cotton Precision Agriculture Investment Decision Aid
        • Cropland Rental Tool (CROPRENT)
        • Precision Agriculture Yield Variability Analyzer
        • South Plains Profitability
      • Spotlight on Cotton Growers
        • Soil Variability Lessons Learned
        • Alternative and Low-Cost Sources of Lime and Fertilizer
        • Year-Round Expert Advice to Cotton Growers
        • No-Till, Double-Cropping System Yields Costs Savings
        • Precision Input Cost Reduction
        • Using Gray Water in Cotton Production
        • Manage Heat with Innovation for Cotton Production
        • Innovative Water Sharing System
        • Satellite Imagery Technology to Manage Variable Soil
      • Websites & Online Resources
        • COTMAN™ Crop Management System
        • Seed Matrix
        • Cotton LEADS™
        • Focus on Cotton
      • Cotton Harvest Systems
        • The Spindle-Type Cotton Harvester
          • Introduction
          • Maximizing Harvester Capacity & Productivity
          • Seed Cotton Handling Systems
          • Basic Safety Precautions
          • Preseason Procedures
          • In-Season Procedures
          • Appendix: Harvest Loss Calculations
          • Suggested Reading on Cotton Pickers
        • Stripper Harvesting
          • Background of Cotton Harvesting
          • Preharvest Preparation
          • Stripper Harvester Preparation
          • In-Season Procedures
          • Fiber Quality
          • Safety Is Your Responsibility!
          • References
        • Seed Cotton Handling Storage
          • A Brief History of Cotton Modules
          • Module Types
          • What Is at Risk When Seed Cotton Is Stored
          • Forming Covering Conventional Modules
          • Case IH Half-Length Modules
          • John Deere Round Modules
          • Proper Cutting of Plastic Wrap on Round Modules
          • Module Covers
          • Safety
          • References
        • Cotton Harvest System Videos
        • Cotton Module Traceability
      • Irrigation Management
        • Why Irrigate Cotton?
        • Why Schedule Irrigation?
        • Initiating and Terminating Irrigation for the Season
        • Cotton Water Requirements
        • Water-Sensitivity of Cotton Growth Stages
        • Sensor-Based Scheduling
        • Irrigation Scheduling Tools
        • Management Considerations for Irrigated Cotton
        • Irrigation Systems Overview
        • References and Additional Resources
    • Ag Research
      • Agricultural Economics
        • Farm Finance
        • Cotton Futures and Options
        • Crop Insurance
      • Agronomy
        • SeedMatrix.com
        • Rolling High Rye for Conservation of Tillage Cotton Success
        • Nitrogen Requirements of Contemporary Cotton Cultivars
        • Cotton Variety Performance & Selection
        • Bronze Wilt Cotton
        • Managing Nitrogen Fertilization In Cotton
        • Sticky Cotton Sources Solutions – A Cooperative Extension
        • Utility of Plant Growth Regulation in Cotton Production
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        • Cottonseed Market Prices
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        • wholecottonseed.com
        • Whole Cottonseed a Super Feed for Dairy Cows
        • Cottonseed Press Releases
        • Cottonseed Storage
        • Cottonseed Goes With the Flow
        • EasiFlo™ Cottonseed Research
      • Engineering
        • Ginning Research
        • Precision Crop Management for Cotton
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          • Other Precision Agriculture for Cotton Websites
          • Cotton Yield Maps: Tools for increasing efficiency & profitability
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          • Sensor-Based Application of Cotton Inputs – Approaches for plant growth regulators, harvest aids, and nitrogen
        • Ultra Narrow Row Cotton Harvest to Textiles
          • UNRC Research and Production Experiences
          • Ginning Stripper Harvested Cotton
          • Marketing Stripper Harvested
          • Fiber and Textile Quality
          • Finger Stripper Harvesting Technology
        • ENSO and Cotton Yield Variability
      • Entomology
        • Cotton Aphid
        • Caterpillar
        • Plant Bugs
        • Spider Mites
        • Stink Bugs
        • Thrips
        • Whitefly
          • Management of White Fly Resistance to Key Insecticides in Arizona
          • Technical Advisory Committee of the Whitefly Q Biotype Task Force
          • Sticky Cotton Sources and Solutions – The University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension
          • Whitefly Management in Arizona Cotton 2006 – The University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension
      • Herbicide Stewardship
        • Herbicide-resistant Weeds Training Lessons
          • Current Status of Herbicide Resistance in Weeds
          • How Herbicides Work
          • What Is Herbicide Resistance?
          • Scouting After a Herbicide Application and Confirming Herbicide Resistance
          • Principles of Managing Herbicide Resistance
        • Take Action Against Herbicide-Resistant Weeds
        • Weed Resistance in Herbicide-Resistant Cultivars R.L. Nichols
        • Preparing for the Auxin Technologies R.L. Nichols
        • Auxin Technologies Meeting Report R.L. Nichols
        • The Stewardship of Herbicides R.L. Nichols
      • Nematology
        • 2012 Breeding Cotton for Resistance to Fusarium and Nematodes Meeting Presentations
        • 2007 Genetics of Root Knot Nematode Resistance in Cotton Meeting Presentations
        • 2005 Breeding Cotton for Resistance to Nematodes Meeting Presentations
        • 2003 Breeding Cotton Nematode Resistance Meeting Presentations
        • Accomplishments of a 10-Year Initiative to Develop Host Plant Resistance to Root-Knot and Reniform Nematodes in Cotton 2003 – 2013
        • Managing Nematodes in Cotton-Based Cropping Systems (December 2012)
        • 2009 Status of Site-Specific Nematicide Treatment
        • 2005 Breeding Cotton for Resistance to Nematodes Meeting Report – June 9, 2005 Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee
        • 2003 Breeding Cotton for Resistance to Nematodes (Meeting Report)
        • 2006 Non-Transgenic Host Plant Resistance to Root-Knot and Reniform Nematodes in Cotton – R. L. Nichols, Cotton Incorporated
        • 2007 Report of the Research Coordination Meeting Genetics of Root-Knot Nematode Resistance in Cotton
      • Plant Pathology
        • Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus Research Review
        • Identification and Management of Fusarium Wilt Race 4
        • Exotic Polerovirus Infecting Cotton in the Southeast U. S.
        • Research Coordination Meeting on Target Spot Presentations
        • Review of the Bacterial Blight Research Program
        • Identification and Management of Bacterial Blight of Cotton
        • Diagnosis and Management of Foliar Diseases in the United States
        • Site-Specific Management of Cotton Root Rot Using Airborne and Satellite Imagery and Variable Rate Technology
        • Cotton Root Rot(Phymatotrichopsis Root Rot) and it’s Management
      • Variety Improvement
        • 2019 Cotton Breeder’s Tour
        • Cotton Breeders’ Tours Presentations
        • State Variety Trial Data
        • Breeder Fiber Sample Information
          • Fiber Sample Packaging and Labeling
          • Packing Enclosure Form
          • Why Bad Samples are Bad
        • Cotton Breeders’ Tour Archives
        • Sample Project Summaries
      • Weed Management
        • Managing Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth
          • Introduction and Overview
          • Update from States
            • Arkansas
            • Georgia
            • Louisiana
            • Mississippi
            • North Carolina
            • South Carolina
            • Tennessee
            • Summary Discussion
          • Research Presentations
            • Segregation and what it means in Palmer amaranth
            • Plant Population Genetics
            • Colorado Molecular and Basic Research
          • Research Programs from Industry
            • Syngenta
            • Bayer CropScience
            • Monsanto
          • Palmer Roundtable Summary
          • List of Attendees
        • 2016 Biology and Management of Herbicide-Resistant Palmer Amaranth in Cotton in the United States
        • 2011 Pigweed Resistance: How Much? To What? And Where?
        • 2010 Impacts of Herbicide Resistant Weeds – Southern States
        • 2010 Meeting the Challenge of Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth in Conservation Tillage
        • 2009 Glyphosate Weed Resistance Update
        • 2009 Control Failures with Ryegrass
        • 2008 Glyphosate-Resistant Populations of Amaranthus palmeri in the United States
        • 2006 Managing Herbicide Resistance in Cotton Cropping Systems
      • Meetings, Tours, and Presentations
        • Conservation Tillage Conferences
          • 2015 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2014 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2013 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2012 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2011 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2010 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2009 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2008 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
          • 2007 Conservation Tillage Conference Proceedings
        • Cotton Biotechnology Workshops
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          • 2014 Crop Management Seminar Presentations
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        • International Cotton Genome Initiative (ICGI) Research Conference Presentations
      • Ag Research Staff Directory
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          • Missouri State Support Committee Bylaws
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          • South Carolina State Support Committee Bylaws
          • Tennessee State Support Committee Bylaws
          • Virginia State Cotton Support Committee Bylaws
        • State Support Program Guidelines
        • State Support Program Projects
    • Cotton Quality
      • Classification of Cotton
        • Overview
        • Maintaining Official Standards for Classification
        • Classification of Upland Cotton
        • Classification of American Pima Cotton
        • Quality and Reliability of Classification Data
        • Dissemination of Data
        • Acknowledgements
      • 2018/2019 U.S. Cotton Fiber Chart
        • Properties of the Growing Regions
        • Grades of U.S. Cotton
        • Ratings of Fiber Properties
        • Bale Sizes
        • HVI® Color Chart
      • Cotton Crop Quality
        • Weekly Cotton Crop Quality Report
        • Most Planted Cotton Varieties for 2019
        • Final Cotton Crop Quality Summary Reports
        • Cotton Properties Legend
        • Cotton Crop Quality Summary
      • Product Evaluation Lab
        • Independent Testing Laboratories
      • Cotton Standards Websites
      • EFS® Software
        • MILLNet™ Software
          • MILLNet™ Software Video
        • USCROP™ Software
        • Cotton Communicator™ Software
      • EFS® System Technical Service
      • EFS® Licensee Yarn Benefits
      • EFS® System Licensees
      • EFS® Fiber/Yarn Sourcing Directory
  • Quality Products
    • Textile Research
      • Dyeing Research
      • Fiber Processing
      • Finishing Research
      • Product Development
      • Technical Services & Implementation
      • Product Integrity
    • Nonwovens
      • Why Cotton?
      • Marketing Resources
        • Aquatic Degradation
        • The Global Baby Care Market Present and Future Growth
        • Trademark Licensing Program
        • Power of the Seal
        • Incontinence Protection
        • Global Feminine Hygiene
        • Responsible Cotton Production
        • Discover What Cotton Can DoTM
      • Cotton Fiber Tech Guide
        • Agricultural Production
        • Cotton Properties
        • Cotton Preparation
        • Cotton Morphology and Chemistry
      • Nonwovens Sourcing
    • Performance Technologies
      • NATURAL STRETCH Technology
        • NATURAL STRETCH Technology
        • NATURAL STRETCH Licensed Suppliers
      • PUREPRESS™ Technology
      • STORM COTTON™ Technology
        • STORM COTTON™ Technology
        • STORM COTTON™ Licensed Suppliers
      • STORM DENIM™ Technology
        • STORM DENIM™ Technology
        • STORM DENIM™ Licensed Suppliers
      • TOUGH COTTON™ Technology
        • TOUGH COTTON™ Technology
        • TOUGH COTTON™ Licensed Suppliers
      • TransDRY® Technology
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        • Cotton Compilation I
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        • Cotton Inspiration I
        • Natural Innovations
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      • Cotton Durability
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      • Technical Bulletins
      • Standard Fabric Defect Glossary
      • Textile Encyclopedia
      • Textile Glossary
      • Fabric Defects Classification
      • Engineered Cotton Knits Guidelines
      • Cotton Fiber Development and Processing
    • Textile Sourcing
      • Cut and Sew
      • Dyers
      • Dye and Wash
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Why Irrigate Cotton?

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Why Irrigate Cotton?

Cotton Production › Ag Resources › Irrigation Management › Why Irrigate Cotton?

Why Irrigate Cotton?

Key Points:

  • Properly managed irrigation provides more consistent yield from year to year
  • Irrigation protects the crop’s yield potential – being short an inch of water at the wrong time can easily result in the loss of 75 pounds of seed and 50 pounds of fiber.

Benefits of Irrigation

The majority of U.S. cotton (about 65%) is currently produced under non-irrigated conditions. In the South and the Southeast, non-irrigated cotton systems dominate, while in the arid West nearly all of the crop water requirements are met by irrigation water. With rising production costs and the devastating effect of drought on yield, adopting irrigation to supplement rainfall in the humid areas, and improving irrigation water management in the drier areas, is becoming increasingly essential to stay competitive.

Irrigation has economic benefits to the producer by increasing yield per unit land area, and benefits to society by providing a consistent and dependable source of food and fiber. Irrigation offers safeguards against poor crop performance and/or failure due to insufficient and/or untimely rainfall. Safeguarding against rainfall uncertainties is highly desirable in today’s competitive markets where substantial investment has been committed at cotton planting time. Irrigation also facilitates agro-chemical management through the use of fertigation and chemigation practices.

irrigate cotton 1 - Why Irrigate Cotton?

Figure 1.1 – While rainfall usually supplies what cotton needs in the south, there will be years when irrigation will be the reason there is a crop to harvest.

Irrigation Stabilizes and Boosts Yield

It is estimated that approximately 70% of the world’s fresh water consumption is for irrigation (all crops, not just cotton), and for good reasons. Irrigation can boost yield as well as stabilize yield and quality by ensuring adequate soil water during the entire growing season or at least during critical growth stages in areas where water resources are limited. In the sandy Coastal Plain soils in the Southeast, irrigation has been shown to nearly double the non-irrigated cotton yield from about 750 to near 1,200 to 1,500 lbs. of lint per acre during water limited years. These large differences in yield are mainly because irrigation supplements rainfall, ensuring adequate water in the root zone to meet crop water needs on a consistent basis. The lower non-irrigated yields are mostly due to insufficient soil water during the season, even though yearly rainfall in the humid parts of the Cotton Belt is about 45-55 inches, or almost twice as large as the seasonal cotton water use.

Removing Risks Associated with Yield Instability

The problem is that the occurrence of rainfall is random; one never knows if the right amount will come at the right time in the growing season. Consequently, drought periods could occur at any crop growth stage with varying duration and severity. Because of this, non-irrigated yields can vary widely from year to year. The risks associated with yield instability can be partially removed by irrigation, which leads to a more predictable season-ending yield (and thus return) year after year. This is a significant advantage, allowing for financial planning on the part of the producer.

Why Plants Need Water

Generally speaking, soil water escapes the cotton field by a combined evaporation from the soil and transpiration from the cotton leaves. Soil evaporation and crop transpiration are usually lumped together as “evapotranspiration” or ET. The terms evapotranspiration, crop water use, or crop water requirements are basically the same and are used interchangeably. In the transpiration process, water from the soil is lost to the atmosphere through the many pores on the leaves called stomata (plural for stoma). Stoma is a tiny pore in the outer epidermis of a plant leaf that controls the passing of water vapor and other gases into and out of the plant. During daylight hours, plant leaves receive energy from the sun and need to open their stomata to take in carbon dioxide (CO2) to grow and metabolize (a process called photosynthesis). When stomata open to take in CO2, water in the leaves transpires, or simply evaporates and escapes the plant. Transpiration cools the plant leaves; allowing the photosynthetic apparatus to produce carbohydrates at optimum levels.

Seasonal Water Requirements Vary by Climate

Like all crops, seasonal water requirements or ET for cotton vary by the climate it grows in. The dryer and hotter the climate is, the more water the plant must transpire to keep cool and produce biomass. While climate (i.e., the level of air temperature, humidity, cloudiness or radiation, and wind speed) determines the demand for water (called evaporative demand), soil water dictates how much water can be supplied to the plant roots to meet the evaporative demand. As soil water decreases, transpiration falls below evaporative demand because the drying soil is unable to transmit water to the roots fast enough to meet the demand at the leaf surface.

Plant Response to Water Stress

irrigate cotton 2 - Why Irrigate Cotton?

Under limiting soil water conditions, the reduction in transpiration is caused by a highly complex feedback mechanism in the plant that tells the stomata to close and thus limit further water loss from the leaves. As stomata close, plant temperature rises and the plant undergoes water stress. Stress may not be visible initially, but plant processes begin to slow down as plant temperature goes up. Soon, visible signs of stress become evident, including leaf darkening and loss of leaf turgor. With stomata at partial opening, the process of photosynthesis or biomass production slows due to lack of CO2 intake by the plant. Simply stated, water stress causes the plant to grow slower and smaller. The higher the severity and duration of the water stress, the higher the loss of biomass production and thus yield. Also, the sensitivity of the plant to water stress changes with growth stages, and is usually highest during rapid canopy development and effective flowering stages. Cotton is an indeterminate perennial shrub that is somewhat tolerant to drought and soil salinity. Because of its drought adaptations, cotton responds favorably to periods of water stress sufficient to slow vegetative growth; a physiological feature that can be benefited by timely irrigation management.

The Relationship Between Water and Yield

For the Cotton-Belt, cotton ET increases by about two-fold from the humid East to the arid West. For example, cotton in the desert Southwest requires as high as 40 inches of water per season for long season varieties, about 30 inches in Lubbock, Texas, while as low as 18 inches and mostly between 20 and 25 inches in the humid Southeast (for details, see Section 4: “Cotton Water Requirements”). In the Southeast, the probability of receiving 20 to 25 inches of rainfall evenly distributed during the four-month cotton growing season is quite low, meaning non-irrigated cotton yields rarely achieve their full potential due to inadequate soil water. For example, on average, cotton’s peak daily water use is about 0.25 to 0.3 inch, or about 2 inches per week, during summer near Columbia, South Carolina. The probability of receiving 2 inches of rainfall weekly during August in Columbia is only 30%, implying not only production uncertainty and risk, but also suggesting lost yield potential under non-irrigated farming. While water requirements are higher in the West, so are yields.

Water Use Efficiency

A useful relationship between yield produced per unit ET or crop water used is water use efficiency (WUE). Modern, high water use efficiency (WUE) cotton varieties tend to provide at least 60 pounds of lint and 90 pounds of seed for every inch of water used. On a global basis, a recent summary of the past 25 years of cotton data (that included some data from the Cotton Belt) lists average WUE for seed cotton (fiber plus the seed) as 147 pounds per acre-inch or, just considering the fiber, 52 pounds of fiber per acre-inch. On a smaller scale and based on a limited study in south Georgia, the addition of 4 to 6 inches of supplemental irrigation above the seasonal rainfall increased lint yield by 250 to 620 lbs., suggesting 60 to 100 lbs. of lint per inch of irrigation above rainfall.

Increasing Water Use Efficiency

irrigate cotton 3 - Why Irrigate Cotton?

Generally, water use efficiency (WUE) is computed either as yield (lbs. per acre) per seasonal crop water use (or ET) or as yield per total applied water (seasonal irrigation plus rainfall). The former is more of a biological indicator (basically describes biomass production per transpiration) and there is limited control on the part of the irrigator to alter this efficiency. Since ET is soil evaporation plus crop transpiration, biological WUE can be increased by reducing soil evaporation and increasing crop transpiration. Conservation tillage (i.e., no-till) leaves substantial residue on the surface, which reduces soil evaporation (E) and consequently increases transpiration (T) and thus yield per unit of water input. The latter water use efficiency of yield per unit of applied water is largely influenced by the performance of the irrigation system and the degree of water losses beyond crop transpiration. Irrigators should strive to increase yield per total water applied by employing efficient irrigation water management practices that reduce losses due to deep leaching and runoff, and by improving irrigation system efficiency and application uniformity through system upgrade.

Boosting Yield and Reducing Costs

Irrigating cotton with the correct amount at the right time can boost yield and reduce input costs. This requires a firm understanding of the critical cotton growth stages and water use. The use of high WUE varieties also helps with securing greater crop per applied water. Increasing WUE and drought tolerance in cotton is highly valuable to U.S. and world agriculture by helping growers to maintain or increase crop production with less water. Currently, traditional crop breeding and advanced gene technology methods are being used by the seed industry to develop cotton varieties with higher WUE and drought tolerance.

Optimizing the Use of All Crop Inputs

Competition for limited water resources is one of the most critical issues being faced by irrigated agriculture in the United States. Even in the humid Southeast, water consumption in agriculture is quickly becoming a concern, caused by increased demand due to population growth, water quality degradation, and higher frequency and duration of drought. There is no new water and the existing water supply, limited by physical, ecological, and economic constraints, must be managed wisely and more efficiently via conservation, reuse, and increased water use efficiency to meet the increasing demand. This entails reducing over – and untimely-watering and improving system efficiency and application uniformity. Efficient and wise use of irrigation water is essential to remain competitive and maintain profitability and environmental sustainability.

Getting the “Most Crop Per Drop”

Irrigation delivery methods continue to be refined to make sure producers get the “most crop per drop.” Within the last few years, new technology has also become available that allows individual sections of an irrigated field to be turned on or off. This leads to more water savings. If there is a portion of the field that does not need irrigation (for example, a low spot where rainfall collects) the pivot is programmed to turn off the sprinklers over that area. In spite of all the advances, over – and untimely-irrigation is widespread. In many instances, over-irrigation is used as a management strategy to guard against risks associated with inadequate water management plans. But overirrigation is also a major contributor to excess leaching of water, nutrients and crop protection chemicals. This is not only costly to the farmer but could also lead to adverse environmental effects. Efficient irrigation starts with a sound irrigation water management, or scheduling. While only about 35% of the cotton acreage in the U.S. is irrigated, for those acres that are irrigated, we must practice wise use of water and ensure that in water-limited regions we get the “most crop per drop,” or simply increased “water productivity.” In areas with abundant rainfall, proper use of supplemental irrigation is needed to reduce waste, avoid under-watering, and ensure “most crop per unit of land,” or simply increased “land productivity.”

irrigate cotton 4 - Why Irrigate Cotton?


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