ABSTRACT

Experiments were conducted in 2003 at two locations in the Coastal Plain of Georgia to determine if the application of an in-furrow fungicide, Terraclor Super-X EC (TSX) at 52.8 fl oz/A, to fungicide-treated cotton seed (DP 458BR) planted at seeding rates of 1 or 2 per foot would provide stand and yield equivalent to fungicide-treated cotton seed planted at 4 seed per foot without the in-furrow fungicide. Such a scenario would permit the grower to reduce seed costs and technology fees associated with transgenic cotton. At one location, cotton emergence at 14 days after planting (DAP) and stand at 28 DAP were significantly improved over the standard seed treatment, Baytan-Thiram RTU at 3 fl oz/cwt plus Allegiance at 0.75 fl oz/cwt, alone. Regardless of the seeding rate, however, no significant differences in yield of seed cotton were found between the in-furrow fungicide and treated seed without the in-furrow fungicide. Yields for cotton planted at 4 seed per foot, without Terraclor Super-X, were greater than for cotton planted at either 1 or 2 seed per foot with TSX. The application of TSX to cotton planted at 1 seed per foot maintained yields equivalent to those of 2 seed per foot with only the standard seed treatment. The results of this study indicate that, under conditions common to the Coastal Plain of Georgia, in-furrow applications of TSX cannot be relied upon to maintain yield equivalent to 4 seed per foot with a standard seed treatment alone when seeding rates of 1 or 2 per foot are employed.