Effect of irrigation and planting geometry on cotton fiber quality and seed composition

Abstract

Background: Cotton fiber quality and seed composition play vital roles in the economics of cotton production systems and cotton seed meal industry. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of different levels of irrigation and planting geometries on fiber quality and seed composition of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A two-year study was conducted in 2018 and 2019 on a Dundee silt loam soil in the Southeast USA with a warm and humid climate. Irrigation treatments were, irrigating every furrow (FI, full irrigation) and alternate furrow (HI, half irrigation), and no irrigation (RF, rainfed), and planting geometries were a single-row (SR) and twin-row (TR) on ridges spaced 102 cm apart. Fiber quality was tested by using the High-Volume Instrument (HVI) and Advanced Fiber Information Systems (AFIS). Seed protein, oil, and fiber were estimated using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Results: The results showed irrigation and planting treatments played a significant role in fiber quality and seed composition. Across irrigation treatments, significant differences were seen in fiber properties, including micronaire, uniformity, upper half mean length (UHML), strength, yellowness, short fiber, upper quartile length (UQL), fineness, maturity ratio, and neps. The micronaire was negatively affected by irrigation as FI-SR, FI-TR, HI-SR, and HI-TR had recorded 11-12% over the RF-SR and TR treatments. The planting geometry played a minor role in determining fiber quality traits like micronaire and nep count. Irrigation treatments recorded significantly lower protein content by 3-4 % than rainfed, while oil content significantly increased by 6-10 %. Conclusions: The results of the study indicate a potential for improving cotton fiber and seed qualities by managing irrigation and planting geometries in cotton production systems in the Mississippi Delta region.

Effects of Irrigation and Planting Geometry on Soybean (Glycine max L.) Seed Nutrition in Humid Climates

“…e different responses of seed composition, including protein, oil, and fatty acids, to temperature and drought, have also been previously reported by [11][12][13]. A similar study on cotton reported variable response for seed constituents to moisture and row spacing [14].…”