Plant monitoring encompasses a set of rapid tools to precisely assess the status of a crop and to identify potential inputs that may be beneficial. In the Southwest cotton growing region, the highly variable weather and short growing season restricts profitability in cotton to production systems that rapidly identify crop conditions and respond appropriately. During 1993, 37 cotton fields were monitored weekly and used to provide producers with crop updates and suggestions for beneficial inputs. This data set clearly illustrates the strong benefit of plant monitoring in the Southwest.