Growth, boll development, agronomic performance, and fiber quality of Gossypium Barbadense L. in the Southeast U.S. Coastal Plain

Authors: HOLLADAY, SARAH - Clemson University; BRIDGES, WILLIAM - Clemson University; JONES, MICHAEL - Clemson University; Campbell, Benjamin - Todd

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2022
Publication Date: 6/23/2022
Citation: Holladay, S., Bridges, W., Jones, M., Campbell, B.T. 2022. Growth, boll development, agronomic performance, and fiber quality of Gossypium Barbadense L. in the Southeast US Coastal Plain. Crop Science. (62):1461-1471. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20756.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20756

Interpretive Summary: Pima (Gossypium barbadense L.) cotton is currently grown commercially in the western United States (US) and west Texas, but low commodity prices and high input costs associated with Upland (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cotton production has regenerated interest in the potential of Pima production in the southeast US. Due to limited experience and research with Pima production in the southeast US, our primary objective was to compare the growth, development, agronomic performance, and fiber quality of four Pima genotypes to a high-yielding, high fiber quality commercial Upland cultivar under irrigated and dryland conditions at different planting dates. Lint yields of all Pima genotypes were ~50% less and had lower lint percentages (38.0 to 42.4%) than the Upland genotype (45.7%); however, the Pima genotypes had consistently lower micronaire values and increased fiber strength, length, and uniformity than the Upland check. Although irrigation did not significantly impact agronomic and fiber quality performance, plants grown under supplemental irrigation developed 10% more bolls throughout the season, mostly occurring on monopodial branches and at mainstem nodal positions above 15. Bolls on Pima genotypes were 13 to 34% smaller than the Upland genotype and developed at more distal and higher nodal positions in the plant canopy. The highest net returns were found in 2019 for all five genotypes at the early planting date, displaying the importance of timely planting of Pima genotypes when grown in the southeast US. Results suggest that irrigation may not be required for Pima production in the southeast, early planting is preferred to obtain maximum yields, and increasing lint percent, boll number, or earliness through breeding may improve Pima yields in the southeast US.

Technical Abstract: Pima (Gossypium barbadense L.) cotton is currently grown commercially in the western US and west Texas, but low commodity prices and high input costs associated with Upland (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cotton production has regenerated interest in the potential of Pima production in the southeast US. In this study, our primary objective was to compare the growth, development, agronomic performance, and fiber quality of four Pima genotypes to a high-yielding, high fiber quality commercial Upland cultivar in the southeast US at different planting dates under irrigated and dryland conditions. Lint yields of all Pima genotypes were ~50% less than the Upland genotype; however, the Pima genotypes had consistently lower micronaire values and increased fiber strength, length, and uniformity than the Upland check. Irrigation did not significantly impact agronomic and fiber quality performance. However, bolls on Pima genotypes were 13 to 34% smaller than the Upland genotype and developed at more distal and higher nodal positions in the plant canopy. The highest net returns were found in 2019 for all five genotypes at the early planting date, displaying the importance of timely planting of Pima genotypes when grown in the southeast US. Collectively, these results suggest that increasing lint percent, boll number, or earliness through breeding may improve Pima yields in the southeast US.