Increasing Cotton Stand Establishment in Soils Prone to Soil Crusting.

Increasing Cotton Stand Establishment in Soils Prone to Soil Crusting J.D. Dudak, G.D. Morgan, and G.A. Holt Many factors can contribute to poor cotton stand establishment, and cotton is notorious for its weak seedling vigor. Soil crusting can be a major factor hindering cotton seedling emergence in many of the cotton production regions of the US and the world. Crusting is mainly an issue in silty soils and saline soils, but can be problematic in many major cotton production regions in Texas and the Cotton Belt. Poor stand establishment can impact cotton yields and can increase input costs due to replanting requirements. The goal of this research project is to evaluate and identify products that can increase seedling emergence under conditions prone to soil crusting, silty soils and heavy rainfall. The practicality of application method and affordability will be considered. Treatments will include in-furrow applications of various erosion control products, hydro-mulch, and bio-degradable plastic. The treatments will be applied at the time of cotton planting using various methods and rates to optimize the potential of each product. Specific application methods will be included in the poster. The percent stand, seedling vigor, days to final stand, shoot biomass at 14 days, and soil crusting will be summarized and presented in the poster.