ABSTRACT
Three years of research were conducted at Stoneville, Mississippi (1984-1986) on a Dundee silt loam grading to a silty clay loam (Aeric Ochraqualfs) to evaluate the effects of foliar applications of "Harvest Plus" on total seed cotton and lint yields. Harvest Plus is a suspension fertilizer material containing nitrogen (14%), phosphorus (4% P2O5), potassium (6% K2O), magnesium (1.5 or 2.0%), sulfur (5 or 8.4%), boron (0.1%), copper (0.1%), iron (1.5%), manganese (2%), molybdenum (0.02%), and Zn (2%). In this study, the material was applied on a bi-weekly or monthly schedule beginning approximately six weeks following planting. The total rates of material used for the bi-weekly applications were 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 lb/A with rates of 20, 40, and 60 lb/A applied on the monthly schedule. These rates were compared to an untreated control where no foliar fertilizer application was made in both 1985 and 1986 the last two applications could not be made with ground applicators without doing the crop. Results from this study indicated no significant yield response to any of the foliar fertilizer rates or to the different schedules of applications. However, yield reductions did occur consistently with monthly application of the material at the highest rate (60 lb/A in 1984 and 42 lb/A in 1985 and 1986). There was also no statistically significant difference in the percent first harvest (PFH) for either seed cotton or lint. However, the PFH tended to decrease with increasing rates of foliar material which would indicate, a slight delay in maturity. From the results obtained in this study, the application of, "Harvest Plus" was not effective in improving cotton yields.
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