Planting for perfection: How to maximize cotton quality with the right planting dates in the face of climate change

Authors: BEEGUM, SAHILA - University Of Nebraska; RAJA REDDY, KAMBHAM - University Of Mississippi; AMBINAKUDIGE, SHRINIDHI - University Of Mississippi; Reddy, Vangimalla

Submitted to: Field Crops Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/2024
Publication Date: 7/4/2024
Citation: Beegum, S., Raja Reddy, K., Ambinakudige, S., Reddy, V. 2024. Planting for perfection: How to maximize cotton quality with the right planting dates in the face of climate change. Field Crops Research. 315. Article e109483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109483.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109483

Interpretive Summary: Cotton quality is as crucial as cotton quantity. While significant efforts have been made to improve and optimize cotton quantity/yield, there has been limited focus on maximizing fiber quality. In this study, an algorithm is developed to estimate the best planting date at any location that can result in the highest fiber quality. The developed methodology is demonstrated for the cotton belt in the USA. The research also examines how climate change impacts the best planting date. The results show that fiber quality can be improved when planted at the right planting date. The analysis of future weather conditions revealed decreased fiber uniformity, length, and micronaire. In contrast, fiber strength shows an increasing trend for future weather conditions when planted at the optimum planting date. The developed methodology can be valuable for farmers and growers seeking to enhance fiber quality. The developed method can be adopted for other locations and crops, such as soybeans, rice, and wheat, to optimize their quality.

Technical Abstract: Cotton quality is as crucial as cotton quantity. Despite considerable efforts to enhance and optimize cotton yield, there has been limited focus on maximizing fiber quality. The cultivar and the temperature experienced from flowering to open boll formation become critical factors affecting fiber quality when cotton is cultivated under optimum water and nutrient conditions. These factors can vary depending on the growing location, planting date, and cropping period duration. This study introduces a novel methodology to estimate the best planting date for maximizing fiber quality for a specific geographic location. The study focuses on the cotton belt in the USA. The study considers maximum and minimum temperatures, planting dates, growing degree days, and various cotton varieties (early, mid, and late-season). Spatial maps depicting the best planting dates and associated fiber quality, based on the average of the last 15 years of weather data, are presented. Results indicate planting cotton at the best planting date can improve all fiber quality features (fiber length, strength, micronaire, and uniformity). Fiber length can range from medium (25-29 mm) to long (30-34.5 mm) for fiber length, fiber strength from strong (29 to 30 g/tex) to very strong (>31 g/tex), micronaire from the discount range (=3.4 and =5.0) to the base range (3.5 to 3.6 and 4.3 to 4.9), and uniformity can be high (>85). The study also explores variability in the optimum planting date and fiber quality with climate change, revealing a decrease in fiber uniformity, length, and micronaire, while fiber strength shows an increasing trend for future weather conditions across all varieties when planted at the optimum planting time. In the future, micronaire will be the most adversely affected aspect of fiber quality, followed by length and uniformity, while fiber strength is expected to have an advantage. The developed methodology, along with the spatial fiber quality and optimum planting date maps generated in this study, can be valuable for farmers and growers seeking to enhance fiber quality. A similar approach can be adopted for other locations and crops, such as soybeans, rice, and wheat, to optimize their quality.