Effect of Irrigation Termination Date on Defoliation and Yield of Upland Cotton

A field study was conducted at the Maricopa Agricultural Center to determine the influence of plant water stress on the effectiveness of defoliants and yield of cotton. Irrigation termination dates of 12 August, 24 August, and 8 September were used to achieve different levels of plant water stress at the time defoliants were applied (22 September). The defoliants tested performed well on cotton, which had termination irrigations in August. Def 6 was not as effective as other defoliants in defoliating plants with an 8 September termination irrigation, unless used in combination with Prep. Cotton with an 8 September termination irrigation produced lint yields 9% higher than cotton with August irrigation termination dates