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Plant Nitrogen Status and Boll Load of Cotton

Blackland Research Center, Texas A&M University System, 808 Blackland Road, Temple, TX, 76502.

^* Corresponding author

Nitrogen management is important in determining cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) yield and fiber quality. Plant tissue tests are often used to estimate cotton N status and determine if further fertilization is needed during the growing season. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between plant tissue tests of petiole NOa concentration and leaf N content and cotton performance as measured by vegetative growth (i.e., leaf area) and boll load. Nitrogen rates of 0, 18, 36, 72, and 144 ram N pot^–1 were applied at 2-wk intervals beginning 13 and 26 d after emergence in 1987 and 1988 through boll maturity to a greenhousegrown cultivar, Stoneville 213. The strong relationship between leaf N and leaf area and boll number (r² = 0.80 and r² = 0.89) 1 wk after first flower appearance suggests that the transition period between vegetative and boll development is a critical time to assess cotton's N status in relation to yield. Nitrogen deficits had little effect on boll weight, boll period duration, and number of main stem nodes. Although boll weight decreased with increasing N deficit, final boll weight of the high-N plants were within 20% of the plants receiving low N supply. The relationship between leaf N and petiole NO³ content, was best described by Y = a + bX^C; however, with this function only one-half of the variation in leaf N was accounted for by variation in petiole NO₃ content (r² = 0.48). Leaf area and boll number were poorly correlated with petiole NO₃ content. Leaf N content was a better predictor of cotton vegetative growth (as indicated by LAI) and boll number than petiole NO₃ content, particularly when measurements are made 1 wk after first flower.

Received for publication May 26, 1993.

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