The Georgia Cotton Council and the University of Georgia Cotton Extension team are reminding growers of the importance of using plant growth regulators (PGRs). The state’s cotton crop has benefited from recent rains, which have stimulated plant growth. “This means it’s time to consider using PGR,” said UGA Cotton Extension agronomist Camp Hand.
“Plant growth regulators are very important right now, especially for dryland crops that are growing because we’ve had a little rain,” Hand said. “The main goal of Pix is to keep the plant short. Cotton is a perennial plant, and if you do nothing, it will grow to the height you need. This can lead to other problems such as disease, lodging, and yield. etc. We need plant growth regulators to keep them at harvestable levels. This means it affects the height of the plants, but it also affects their maturity.”
Georgia was very dry for much of the summer, causing the state’s cotton crop to stagnate. But the situation has changed in recent weeks as rainfall has increased. “It’s even encouraging for manufacturers,” Hand said.
“It looks like it’s raining in all directions. Everyone who needs it gets it,” Hand said. “Even some of what we planted in Tifton was planted on May 1, April 30, and it didn’t look good. But due to the rain that has been falling for the past few weeks, the rain stopped this week. I’ll spray some Pix on top.
“It seems that the situation is changing. Most of our crops are blooming. I think the USDA tells us that about a quarter of the crop is flowering. We are starting to get some fruit from some of the early plantings and the overall situation seems to be getting better.”
Post time: Jul-15-2024