Much of the cotton fields in the area have more than 80% of the harvestable bolls open. Some fields, both irrigated and dryland, have already been defoliated and stripped. Insects no longer appear to be a concern for yield reduction, and I have not found aphids in any fields yet. So there is little need to worry about aphids causing a sticky cotton problem.

Recent rains have most likely caused some quality loss and additional rain will further reduce lint quality. If you think that a particular field is going to be harvested, and it is opening up you might seriously consider using a harvest aid. This will likely result in savings in both lint quality and yield.

Defoliation trials were sprayed several weeks ago and have been rated through the 14th day after treatment. These data are attached on the following page.

The results of the harvest aid trials leave a lot of questions. Most fields will probably require two applications for adequate defoliation. Fields that have relatively low amounts of juvenile growth (or regrowth) should not have much difficulty in defoliation. However, those fields with excessive amounts of juvenile growth will probably have greater difficulty in obtaining adequate defoliation for harvest.

There does not seem to be any problem in dropping the leaves. The major issue is the regrowth. The field containing the harvest aid demonstration in Mitchell County had up to 3 inches of regrowth prior to treatment; and as much as 5-8 inches of regrowth at 14 days after treatment.

Refer to the data from the harvest aid trials for defoliation results. The best treatments will have a performance rating above 80 and low values for top and lower regrowth.

Some of the better treatments include:
• Cyclone Max 10.7 oz/A

• Def/Folex 16 oz/A
Cyclone Max 5.3 oz/A

• Prep 16 oz/A
Cyclone Max 3.5 oz/A

• Aim 1 oz/A

• Ginstar 6 oz/A

Other treatments that were untested but may be effective include a light rate of Cyclone Max (~5 oz/A) followed by 0.66 oz/A Aim 5 days later; or 5 oz/A Cyclone Max and 4 oz/A Ginstar tank mixed.

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Table 4. Projected Dates of Crop Growth Landmarks for Various Planting Dates Based on Table 3