Special Annual Report Issue - AgGeorgia Farm Credit

In the western statesnearly the entire cropis irrigated.of any annually planted crop in the country.Since there is much variation in climate andsoil, production practices differ from regionto region. In the western states, for example,nearly the entire crop is irrigated.Planting begins in February in southTexas and as late as June in northern areasof the Cotton Belt. Land preparation actuallystarts in the fall, shortly after harvest.Stalks from the old crop are shredded toreduce food supplies for overwinteringpests. Usually, this residue is left on thesurface to protect the soil from erosion. Theuse of heavy mechanical harvesters compactsthe soil, sometimes requiring tillageto loosen the soil for the next crop’s roots.PlantingPlanting is accomplished with 6, 8, 10or 12-row precision planters that place theseed at a uniform depth and interval. Youngcotton seedlings emerge from the soil withina week or two after planting, dependingon temperature and moisture conditions.Squares, or flower buds, form a month tosix weeks later and creamy to dark yellowblossoms appear in another three weeks.Pollen from the flower’s stamen is carried tothe stigma, thus pollinating the ovary. Overthe next three days, the blossoms graduallyturn pink and then dark red before fallingoff, leaving the tiny fertile ovary attached tothe plant. It ripens and enlarges into a podcalled a cotton boll.Individual cells on the surface of seedsstart to elongate the day the red flower fallsoff (abscission), reaching a final length ofover one inch during the first month afterabscission. The fibers thicken for the nextmonth, forming a hollow cotton fiber insidethe watery boll. Bolls open 50 to 70 daysafter bloom, letting air in to dry the white,clean fiber and fluff it for harvest.AgGeorgia.17.Winter 2007