This project conducts research on the environmental physiology and agronomy of cotton to help improve the efficiency, profitability, and sustainability of cotton production in Tennessee. Studies of biological efficiency are aimed at improving the physiological efficiency of yield formation in cotton. Plant growth regulation studies are evaluating materials and techniques to improve the growth regulation effects of mepiquat chloride. Harvest-aid testing is evaluating the performance of defoliants, desiccants, and boll opening compounds, and their effects on fiber quality. Research approaches include evaluating starter fertilizer applications, delayed nitrogen applications, and foliar fertilization of selected nutrients.
Attention is also devoted to soil sampling strategies in no-till production fields.
Additional work centers on non-destructive methods of evaluating plant health. The need for nitrogen and potash fertilization for cotton production is of prime importance. The primary objective of this project is to develop economically and environmentally sustainable weed management programs for agronomic cropping systems. The approach involves studies on weed biology, weed interference, weed resistance, herbicide efficacy, herbicide dissipation, herbicide application, and the use of herbicide resistant crops. The development of models to predict economic loss from individual weeds and ultimately weed complexes and gain from selected control strategies, considering environmental impact, is our goal.