Early and Late Season Nutrient Stress Conditions: Impact on Cotton Productivity and Quality

Modern cotton (Gossypium spp. L) cultivars are efficient in nutrient uptake and utilization, and thus, may potentially tolerate nutrient stress. Early- and late-season nutrient stress (E-stress and L-stress, respectively) effects on cotton productivity and quality were assessed under different production conditions in Camilla and Midville, GA, USA. The E-stress received no nutrient application in the early season, but the full rates were split-applied equally at the initiation of squares and the second week of bloom stages. The L-stress received 30–40% of the full nutrient rates only at the initial stage of planting. The effects of nutrient stress on cotton productivity and fiber quality were not consistent across the different production conditions. Compared to the full nutrient rate, the E-stress did not adversely impact cotton yield, but rather it improved the lint and cottonseed yields under one production condition by 17.5% and 19.3%, respectively. Averaged across all production conditions, the L-stress decreased the lint and cottonseed yields by 34.4% and 36.2%, respectively. The minimal effects of E-stress on cotton suggest nutrient rates at the early season could be reduced and more tailored rates, informed by soil and plant tissue analyses, applied shortly before the reproductive phase.