Abstract
ABSTRACT Water deficit at certain cotton growth stages can cause severe damage to crop development, affecting physiological processes and reducing reproductive structures, with consequent yield losses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of cotton cultivars under water deficit applied at different stages of the crop cycle. We compared the number of bolls per meter, cotton yield, and water use efficiency for eight different cotton cultivars under a water deficit of 15 days. We selected the following growth stages: Emergence (EM), First Square (FS), First Flower (FL), Peak Bloom (PB), and First Open Boll (FOB). The control treatment was irrigated with 100% ETc. The experiment was conducted in Apodi, RN State of Brazil, semiarid region, using a sprinkler irrigation system. The number of bolls per meter, cotton yield, and water use efficiency were influenced by the interaction of cultivars x deficit periods. Lowest values were observed for water suppression in the FL and PB stages. When the water deficit was imposed in the initial stages of growth (EM to FS) or after the FOB stage, the cotton yield reduction was not significant. At the same stage and water deficit, the behavior of the different cultivars was similar. Producers are urged to take this information into account when developing irrigation schemes for cotton crops, thereby avoiding water deficits during the most critical periods of the crop cycle.
Highlights
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important fiber crop in the world, with more than 23.70 million tons produced in 2014/2015 (ABRAPA, 2016)
The present study evaluated the effect of water deficit, occurring in different phases of the cotton crop cycle, on components of production, cotton yield, and water use efficiency
Comparing different cultivars within each water deficit period, to the results found for the number of bolls per meter, there was no significant difference between cultivars, demonstrating that the cultivars behaved in a similar way under water deficit
Summary
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important fiber crop in the world, with more than 23.70 million tons produced in 2014/2015 (ABRAPA, 2016). Global climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, are affecting the availability of irrigation water. These changes can negatively impact the sustainability of the cotton production in Brazil and worldwide. Semiarid cotton production areas, characterized by the occurrence of inconsistent rainfall, experience periods of good water availability as well as long and frequent periods of drought throughout the growing season. Dry, short periods are frequent due to climatic changes, causing considerable yield losses even in the Cerrado region, the most important cotton producing area in Brazil. Short periods of water deficit can occur due to periods of weather anomalies, and because of failures in the water pumping system, unexpected maintenance, or even the need of direct supply for other crops which are at critical growth stages
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