Tillage effects on fruiting patterns of cotton were evaluated in a study at Milan, Tennessee in 1990. The experiment consisted of cotton which was conventionally-tilled and no-tilled into old cotton stubble. One "average" plant per plot was selected and mapped throughout the season. Data reported are averages for 35 plants grown in no-tillage and conventional-tillage. Harvestable bolls were mapped and hand-picked for subsequent evaluation.

No-tilled plants were slightly taller and earlier throughout the season. Lint yields from no-tilled plots were 5% higher than yields from conventional-tillage. Bolls on no-tillage cotton were 3.5% larger than those grown with conventional-tillage averaged across tillage systems. Bolls produced at site 1 averaged 9% larger than bolls produced at site 2. Largest bolls were produced on nodes 4, 5, and 6 of plants in both tillage systems.

Seventy-four percent of seed cotton yield was produced at fruiting position 1 in no-tillage and 63% conventional-tillage. However, 25% of the yield of conventional tillage was obtained from site 2 compared to 20% from no-tillage. A large number of bolls were obtained from sites 3, 4, and 5, and from vegetative limbs of conventionally grown plants than from plants no-tilled into cotton stubble. The latter sources contributed only 11% of yield from conventional-tillage and 5.5% from no-tillage into cotton stubble.

The nodes 5 through 10 of site 1 produced 57% of the total crop and site added 1% to the total. Less than 2% of the yield was produced at node 13 or higher. Boll set was considerably higher in this experiment than reported in the literature with nodes 4 to 12, sites 1 and, averaging 71% in no-tillage and 65% in conventional-tillage. Boll set at all sites averaged 3% in no-tillage and 31% in conventional-tillage.

Cotton in this experiment began fruiting near node 5, fruited rapidly, and totally "cut out" between July 27 and August 7. Lint yields were over bales per acre for all treatments.