A Preliminary Study on the Determination of Carpel Characteristics, Yield Losses and Free Fatty Acid Content of Seed under Pre-Harvest Precipitation in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Pre-harvest precipitation in some years in many cotton-growing regions may adversely affect cotton yield and quality. The effect of carpel characters of cultivars on fall out (ground losses) and free fatty acid of seed under different precipitation amounts were investigated. The experiment was arranged in a two-factor Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. The precipitation x cultivar interaction for carpel depth, free acid content and fall out were significant. Fall out values were between 38.9 kg ha-1 at 20 mm precipitation and 234.2 kg ha-1 at 125 mm precipitation. The amount of fall out in all varieties was negatively affected by the increase in precipitation. Gloria cultivar with a wide carpel had the lowest yield losses on the ground.