
In-depth
article in Agricultural Research magazine. Compacting Cotton Rows Could Be More
EconomicalBy Tara
Weaver-Missick January 5, 2000Research is underway at
Agricultural Research Service locations
to make ultra narrow row (UNR) cotton production more economical for farmers.
ARS is the chief research agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. For more than a century, farmers have planted cotton in wide rows with up to
40 inches between them. The rows had to be wide enough for a mule-driven plow
to maneuver, so the animal wouldnt trample the crop. With UNR, cotton is planted in rows that range from about 7-1/2 to 10 inches
wide. A farmer can plant more rows and potentially yield more cotton per acre,
says William T. Molin, a plant physiologist with ARS
Southern Weed Science
Unit in Stoneville, Miss. Also, since rows are planted closer together, cotton crowds the weeds out,
reducing the need for mid-season herbicide applications. Molin and other ARS researchers are participating in a 10-year project
looking at varying aspects of long-term UNR cotton production--from managing
weeds to processing. Theres not enough solid information on UNR cotton
available to farmers. In 1998, Molin began field studies on 40-acres to compare UNR with
conventional cotton. He grew 12 popular varieties using both wide and narrow
rows. Results showed UNR cotton was comparable in yield to conventional
wide-row cotton. An in-depth article on ultra narrow row cotton research appears in the
January issue of Agricultural
Research magazine. Click
hereto view it on the web. Scientific contact: William T.
Molin, ARS Southern Weed Science Research Unit, Stoneville, Miss.,phone
(601) 686-5245, fax 601) 686-5422, [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture |