Writer: Joe Bryant (806) 746-6101, j-bryant1@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Randy Boman (806) 746-6101, r-boman@tamu.edu
LUBBOCK–Cotton growers on the Texas High Plains are crossing their fingers that Mother Nature will keep smiling on them a few more days and they can get their valuable crop harvested in good condition.
The 25-county area surrounding Lubbock annually produces around 3 million bales. That is about half of the state’s cotton and 20 to 25 percent of the nation’s crop. This year, under provisions of the new farm bill, the USDA says area farmers planted 3.26 million acres and will harvest an estimated 3.5 million bales.
“Mother Nature was really good to us in the fall,” said Dr. Randy Boman, cotton agronomist here with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. “What she took away from us early (in the growing season) she gave back to us in the fall. We’ve really had a good year, even with the tough start,” Boman said.
At planting time last May and early June, near-record rains delayed planting in much of the area, washed out some fields and provoked some disease problems. Winds, hail and blowing sand also took a toll. “We lost about 250,000 acres, some of which was replanted to cotton,” Boman noted. With the area’s short growing season, late-planted cotton needs a lot of help from Mother Nature, as well as the growers.
Early in the season “we were at 300 percent of our normal rainfall,” said Mark Brown, Lubbock County extension agent for agriculture. “Now we’re at 119 percent of normal (precipitation).
In addition to the rain, cooler than normal temperatures slowed the crop’s progress. “In June,” Boman said, “the average daily temperature at Lubbock was 2.7 degrees below normal. In July we finally managed to get in the plus-column, with readings 0.6 degrees above (the average daily temperature).” July’s average daily reading was 1 degree above normal.
Under those conditions, the USDA on Aug. 12 estimated the area would harvest only 3.1 million bales.
But weather conditions in August and September turned things around for the growers. “The average daily temperature at Lubbock in September was 3.5 degrees above normal, “Boman noted.
“What was really good,” the agronomist added, “was that most of the favorable conditions of September carried over into October.
“We had a lot of open weather” with clear, sunny days, added Dr. James Leser, Extension Service cotton entomologist. That was important for accumulation of “heat units,” a formula based on temperature and number of hours of exposure to gauge the amount of heat the cotton plant accumulates each day. Growers use this to determine the stages of development of the plant.
A cotton plant needs between 700 and 800 heat units to develop a bloom into a harvestable boll.
Despite the slow, cool start, Brown said, ” From May 1 through October 15, Lubbock County was at 99 percent of its normal heat units.”
From Aug. 20 through Oct. 6, Boman said, Lubbock received 750 heat units. That’s generally enough to mature blooms on the plant Aug. 20 into harvestable bolls, he said.
“The first week of October, we were just ready to get rolling big time (on harvesting) when that cold front moved through and the cool weather and moisture shut us down,” Boman said. While the fields were drying out enough to resume harvesting, the moisture also caused the plants to put on some late growth. That creates new leaves which can be picked up by the strippers and cause the lint to receive lower grades at the classing office.
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