Hormone analyses were conducted to determine why large squares seldom shed while young bolls do. Large squares contained five times as much free auxin as flowers, and they contained 16 times as much bound auxin. The high auxin content of large squares is probably a major reason that they almost never shed unless injured (for example, by insects). Free and bound auxin both decreased to very low levels at flowering and remained low for four days thereafter. This low concentration of auxin at, and just after, flowering is probably a major reason that bolls are likely to shed during the week after flowering. Both free and bound auxin increased rapidly between 7 and 9 days after flowering, possibly accounting for the decrease in boll shedding rate at this stage of development. Amide-linked IAA was the major form of auxin in squares, whereas ester IAA (presumably bound to sugars) was the major form of auxin in bolls.

In 1984,1985, and 1986, leaf water potentials of irrigated cotton declined markedly as the crop approached cutout. Midday transpiration rates also declined, indicating a water-stressed condition. The water stress occurred despite the fact that measurements were made only when the soil was fully charged with water. In 1986, plant hydraulic conductances were estimated. The conductance was high early in the season, declined to a low value during cutout, and increased during regrowth to the high value of the early season. It is suggested that root length and efficiency of water uptake, or both, decrease during boll filling as most assimilates are partitioned into the bolls. Daily drip irrigation prevented this susceptibility to stress during boll filling. In 1984 and 1986, drip irrigation decreased the length and severity of cutout, resulting in an increased boll load at the end of the season.

The plant regulators XE-1019 and PIX were tested at the Maricopa and Marana Agricultural Centers. Few yield responses were found in 1987, apparently due to the short stature of the crop at both locations.

Two new Dropp formulations show promise as cotton defoliants. In addition to excellent leaf drop, most squares, flowers, and young bolls were also shed, removing the food source for late season insects.

Ethephon was applied to Deltapine 55 cotton with 35% of the bolls open. Ethephon significantly increased the percent first pick yield of the cotton. There was no significant difference in the total yield.

PIX was applied to long and short staple cotton in 5, 10 and 20 gallons of water in an incomplete factorial design involving 0.5, 1 and 2 pints of the product per acre. Plant heights were significantly shortened and the percent of lint obtained in the first picking was significantly increased when Piz was applied on the short staple cotton. No statistically significant yield differences were observed between the volumes of dilution or the rates of application for either long or short staple cotton. A factor underlying the experiment was that the monsoon rains. They kept the surface of the ground moist and the plants looking good; however, the subsurface moisture had apparently been depleted, and the plants were under some stress. This stressed condition offset what good the FIX might have done for yield.

Water - nitrogen production functions were determined for cotton cultivars, DPL 77 and DPL 90. Cotton yields for the DPL 90 cultivar were reduced more than the DPL 77 cultivar when water applications were reduced. Cotton yields of 3.0 to 3.4 bales/acre were predicted for nitrogen applications of 160 to 210 lbs/acre with appropriate water applications.

Effects of various fertilization histories on cotton yield were investigated for the fourth consecutive year in the same field at the Maricopa Agricultural Center. Treatments included: 1) no fertilizers added for the past 4 seasons, 2) aggressive nitrogen fertilization in the 1988 season, no fertilization for the previous 3 seasons, 3) standard nitrogen fertilization in 1988 similar treatment for the previous 3 seasons, 4) aggressive nitrogen fertilization in 1988 same history as treatment #3 for previous 3 seasons, and 5) a commercial alternative fertilization program (BioHumaNetics, Inc.). Yields in 1988 were significantly different with treatment 2 having the highest yield followed by treatments 3 and 4, followed by treatment 5; treatment 1 had the lowest yield.

Four field experiments were established in 1988 in Arizona to evaluate the effects of banded phosphorus (P) fertilizers on cotton. 2 sites involved upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and 2 sites with pima (G. barbadense L. var Pima S-6), with 1 of each located near Marana, AZ (Vinton Anthony sandy loam). A site with 1 of each kinds was also located near Coolidge, AZ (Mohall sandy loam). At the Marana studies, P was applied 6 inches directly below the zone of seed placement at the time of listing and at the Coolidge sites, P was applied 6 inches below and 2 inches to the side of the zone of seed placement after listing but before planting. In all cases, the P source was 10-34-0 at rates of 0, 30, and 65 lb. P₂O₅ acre⁻¹. At the Marana location, a treatment of banded 10-34-0 at 30 lb. P₂O₅ acre⁻¹ plus a foliar application of 10 lb. P₂O₅ acre⁻¹ (early bloom) as 10-34-0 was included in both the upland and the pima experiments. Plant measurements for plant height, flower numbers, node numbers, boll numbers, and nodes to first fruiting branch were taken to evaluate plant response throughout the season. Plant tissue samples were also taken for leaf petiole PO₄-P and leaf blade total P analysis. Lint yield measurements were also taken. No statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences were found among any of the treatments for any of the measured parameters, except in the petiole PO₄-P levels from the upland study at Coolidge on the second sampling date.

The effect of a single preplant application of zinc sulfate on DPL 77 yield was investigated at the Maricopa Agricultural Center on a field that had tested as marginal with respect to zinc availability. No significant difference in yield was found between the plants receiving zinc sulfate and the control.