The Chemical Capping Regulation Mechanism of Cotton Main Stem Growth

Abstract

In China, due to labor shortages and increasing labor costs, manual topping is gradually being replaced by chemical capping with mepiquat chloride (DPC). External chemicals can adjust plant growth by affecting endogenous hormones. Based on the hormone changes combined with the development of the main stem of cotton plants, a comparative experiment was conducted in 2019 and 2020 to determine the regulatory mechanism of the growth of the cotton main stem after chemical capping. In the experiment, two treatment times (T1: 12 July, T2: 18 July) and two treatment agents (CA [chemical capping agent] and DPC) were set, the hormone (auxin IAA, abscisic acid ABA, Gibberellin GA3 and Zeatin ZR) concentrations at the top of main stem (0–5 and 5–10 cm) were continuously measured and the main stem development situation was observed and recorded. The results showed that after chemical capping, the IAA concentration decreased firstly and increased later, lower than that of CK. ABA concentration increased significantly and GA3 concentration decreased significantly compared with CK. ZR concentrations fluctuated obviously at T1 and gently at T2. In terms of main stem growth, the plant height, number of fruit branches and average length of upper internode (fifth and above) were decreased compared with CK, while the CA treatment was inhibited more strongly than the DPC treatment. To conclude, chemical capping operation affected the hormone concentration at the plant apex significantly and effectively regulated plant development. In comparison with DPC treatment, CA regulated hormones effectively, which is favorable for conducive reasonable plant shaping.