Spatial Yield Distribution in Cotton Following Early‐Season Floral Bud Removal

Abstract

A better understanding of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) compensatory growth after loss of early‐season floral buds requires an assessment of the actual patterns of spatial yield distribution in damaged and undamaged plants. This study was conducted to determine if spatial yield distribution or yield components are altered in cotton in response to removal of early‐season floral buds. Beginning with the second week of squaring, floral buds were removed by hand for one, two, or three consecutive weeks. At 90 d after planting, plant height, leaf area index, main stem node number, fruit present, total fruiting positions, and dry weights were measured. The contribution to total yield from each fruiting position was determined at crop maturity. Results from this study show the lowest level of floral bud removal resulted in no differences in spatial yield distribution. As the intensity of early‐season floral bud removal increased, however, the probability of harvesting a mature boll decreased in the lower canopy but increased in the upper canopy. Removal of floral buds resulted in fewer first sympodial position fruit but more third sympodial position fruit at harvest. Thus, early‐season removal of floral buds resulted in additional seed cotton production on more apical and distal fruiting positions. These modifications in spatial yield distribution adequately replaced those floral buds removed early in the season because total seed cotton yield was not different among the treatments at crop maturity.