Research conducted in North Carolina, as well as in other areas of the cotton belt, has demonstrated that Pix treatment can hasten maturity, reduce plant height, facilitate insect management, decrease boll rot, and increase yield. These desirable features are caused by the inhibition of cell elongation in the cotton stems. Pix-treated plants are normally smaller and more compact. Internodes along the stem and fruiting branches are shortened. The total number of fruiting branches also may be reduced slightly.
Energy is directed toward boll production and away from vegetative growth.
Normally, our North Carolina season does not give us enough time to mature bolls produced on the highest fruiting branches. In Pix-treated cotton, those positions are not formed. In untreated cotton, those additional fruiting positions are frequently not harvested. In rain-fed cotton production, the presence or absence of timely rainfall largely determines the length of the growing season and the plant's ability to produce and mature bolls. If we experience timely rainfall, cotton normally produces excellent yields with or without Pix.