Brice Callahan, left, and Karen VanMeter, use probes to collect soil samples for analysis as part of a variable rate application study being conducted by Oklahoma State University researchers.

In this ongoing project, scientists at Oklahoma State University believe that a new sensor based variable rate control system can reduce cotton production costs from $60 to $150 per acre.

In this project, scientists have found problems associated with excess vigor called “High Vigor Zone Syndrome” – discovered in conjunction with cotton fertility studies. They found this vigor problem is common in Southwestern cotton production and at a level that is significantly reducing cotton yields.

A site on an Oklahoma cotton farm has been obtained for testing in 2006 with imagery and yield maps obtained. Scientists are studying the “high vigor” issue and finding methodology to quantify the problems and propose solutions.