Agricultural News
Drought Continues Devastation on Cotton Crops Across Oklahoma
Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:51:53 CDT
Once again, the drought across Oklahoma is taking a toll on the cotton crop of 2011. The drought has had brutual effects on the crop and the record-breaking temperatures are set to continue. According to Randy Boman, Research Director and Cotton Extension Program Leader, there are virtually no surviving dryland cotton fields that will produce a harvestable yield.
The dryland program fields that did survive have been tracked with nodes above white flower and had all bloomed through the terminal by August 16. Boman suggests that the drought devastated fields should be adjusted based on the boll count method at this time. Five out of eight of the program fields where nodes above white flower have been tracked are in hard cutout at this time, while the three other fields are at 2-3 nodes above white flower.
This means the window for setting yield potential is closing. The reduced yield due to fruit shed and small boll size will plaque many irrigated fields this year. Poor fruit retention, four-bract squares, "extended stigmas," and "parrot-beaked" bolls are all factors in reduced yield and have been spotted in most fields.
Pollination is another factor because pollination has been incomplete, due to pollen sterility arising from high temperatures.
Click on the LINK below for more information on the cotton crop of 2011, as well as, the irrigation problems and upcoming cotton meetings in the Cotton Comments Newsletter.
01545_CottonComments08242011.pdf
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