Variety Effects on Growth and Yield Distribution of Cotton in Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Conditions.

In Georgia, the dominant cotton variety is Delta & Pineland 555 BR, a long season variety known for aggressive growth.  In West Texas, FiberMax varieties such as 960 B2RF and 9063 B2RF are commonly grown, high-yielding shorter season varieties with good fiber quality parameters.  Several factors may play roles in the performance and popularity of these varieties, including season length characteristics of both varieties and phenotypic response to the very different environments between Georgia and West Texas.  The objective was to determine growth characteristics of these two varieties in Texas and Georgia to determine growth and source-to-sink relationships in each environment based on temperature, sunlight, and precipitation/soil moisture.  However, due to hail at the Texas location, the study was conducted at two locations in Georgia in 2007.  The parameters were used to ascertain contributing factors to the yield and quality of the plants.  There was a unique variety affect on fruiting response and growth response throughout the season, and these changes in fruiting and growth response can potentially affect yield and/or quality.