By Dr. J. Julian Smith, PhD – President CZO Agronomics
Cotton always struck me as an oddity as a young agronomist and even now still serves to confuse at times. A desert perennial dating back thousands of years in cultivated agriculture from Asia, Africa and the Americas, not least the Native Peoples of the desert southwest close to where I write this piece. As a perennial, think of tree – obviously modified for present day production practices, harvest and utilization – remember the history…
Like most desert species, cotton needs to seize water at every opportunity – it is a deep tap-rooted plant so this provides good fertility clues – nurture the root development in early stages, build the leaf / light factory and maintain fruit production and quality later in the season. I know it is more complicated given pest control, weed pressure and modern genetics but strip away all of this and get to the physiological basis of high yield cotton. I have had the privilege to work with cotton researchers and producers across the world, not least the US cotton belt – climates vary but physiology and nutrient considerations are remarkably consistent..
