COMPARISON OF FIVE VARIETIES IN DEEP TILLAGE AND NO-TILL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND RESPONSE TO PENTIA

摘要

Low cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) prices and high production costs have triggered interest in alternative cotton production systems with the predominant goal of increasing returns. No-till production systems offer reduced inputs as well as additionalpotential benefits including reduced labor, fuel savings, reduced machinery wear, improved soil tilth and water availability, and increased soil organic matter. The use of plant growth regulators (PGR) has also been commonly used as a management tool for cotton growth to enhance insect control and to set the crop up for a timely, uniform harvest. While yield response of cotton to PGR use is erratic, producers readily recognize that these products result in a more manageable crop (Jost and Dollar 2004)by using them as a means to manage the balance between vegetative and reproductive growth for efficient cotton production (Oosterhuis and Robertson 2000). The objectives of this study are to evaluate the response of widely used cotton cultivars in no-till and conventional cropping systems and response to mepiquat pentaborate (Pentia), a widely used plant growth regulator.