Experiments to determine the effectiveness of several fungicide treatments on cotton emergence, stand establishment, seedling/plant survival, and yield were conducted in the field during the 1986 and 1987 growing seasons. Early season conditions were relatively mild during 1986 and few differences among the fungicide treatments were noted for the parameters measured. However, the 1987 early season conditions (cool, moist soils) were quite harsh and differences among the fungicide treatments were noted.

During 1987, the fungicide treatments were evaluated using the cultivar Paymaster 145 planted on 15 May at a seeding rate of 23.3 seeds/meter of row. The experimental area was fertilized with 90 kg/ha of nitrogen and 40 kg/ha of P₂O₅. In addition, Treflan (1.75 1/ha) and Temik (3.4 Kg/ha) were used for weed control and early season insect control, respectively. The following fungicide treatments were evaluated: 1) Check, 2) Captan 65 Sprills (1.41 g/kg), 3) Captan 65 Sprills (1.41 g/kg) + Apron FL (0.47 g/kg), 4) Captan 400 (0.94 g/kg) + Apron FL (0.47 g/kg) + Vivatax 30C (2.1 g/kg), 5) Nuflow ND (3.13 g/kg) + Apron FL (0.47 g/kg), 6) Ridomil PC (5.6 kg/ha) , 7) Ridomil PC (8.4 kg/ha), and 8) Terraclor Super X (11.2 kg/ha). All rates of the fungicide were on the formulated basis. Parameters evaluated during 1987 included the emergence rate index (rate and totality of emergence), establishment index (percentage of seeds planted producing established plants), survivability index (percentage of emerged and established seedlings surviving to various times during the season), and lint yield.

For the emergence rate index (ERI) during 1987, the seed treatments (treatments 2 to 5) generally resulted in higher ERI values than did the in-furrow treatments (treatments 6 to 8). Of the seed treatments, Captan 65 Sprills + Apron FL and Nuflow ND + Apron FL resulted in slightly higher ERI values than the other treatments.

The same general trends were observed for the establishment index (EI) when calculated at maximum seedling emergence, at six weeks after planting, and at harvest. Again, as a group the seed treatments resulted in higher EI percentages than the in-furrow treatments with the Captan 65 Sprills + Apron FL and Nuflow ND + Apron FL treatments giving the better results for the seed treatments.

For the survivability index (SI) it was noted, as expected, that most of the seedling/plant mortality occurred between maximum emergence and six weeks after planting versus six weeks after planting and harvest. Few differences in the SI percentages were noted among the seed treatments or between the seed treatments and in-furrow treatments.

Lint yield differences between the seed treatments and in-furrow treatments were generally not significant, however, the highest yielding treatment resulted from seed treated with Captan 400 + Apron FL + Vitavax 30C.