ABSTRACT

Cotton production on large, center-pivot irrigated fields is often subject to wide variations in soil series which impacts the growth and development of the cotton plant and potential yield. The Cotman® approach to tracking cotton growth and development requires several locations to be sampled which may or may not be suitable for crop consultants. Given the wide variation in soil series and the need to quickly cover large areas this project attempts to quantify the effect of location or “zones” on cotton development as tracked by Cotman for improved characterization of a given cotton field. Cotton development zones were identified on a center-pivot irrigated field in eastern New Mexico based on aerial photos and grid sampling from the 2001 production year. Cotman documented the development of cotton in areas of rocky ground with shallow soils and areas of deeper soils where cotton tended to grow at excessive rates. Production zones were confirmed with lint quality measures. Cotman can be used in performance zones but would be excessively time consuming to try and identify these zones with the software itself. Visual representation of development through aerial photography is a simple enough procedure to identify zones within a given field. These areas could be managed using variable rate applications of growth regulators or fertilizers. The software should help with management of the field as a whole allowing the producer to take these zones into account. Yield maps quantify the acreage that is affected by soil series and can be used to evaluate the economic productivity of the field. Cotman should allow for early detection of potential problems and improve overall profitability.