A cool, wet spring has cotton in the Texas South Plains and Rolling Plains playing catch-up. But the current hot weather is helping the crop that lags two to four weeks in development.
“You can almost hear the cotton growing out there. It’s looking so good,” said Mark Kelley, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist, Lubbock.
Temperatures in the South Plains and Lubbock area have typically been reaching the high 90s, with nighttime lows in the 70s, which was perfect cotton growing weather, Kelley said. And the same wet conditions earlier in the year that delayed planting, along with some July rains, made for some favorable moisture conditions.
“We saw our first blooms towards the last of July, so we’re going into the first week of bloom for most of the crop,” Kelley said.
Despite the lateness of the crop, Kelley is very optimistic about the chances of South Plains growers making yields.
“Even with ideal weather, the crop isn’t going to catch up that much. But with proper management and timely rainfall, we can gain some ground.”
However, with another strong El Niño building, there is a chance the area could have wet weather late in the season, which could delay harvest and/or result in regrowth, he said.
Even with ideal weather, the earliest harvest will likely start is about the first of November, and the average first freeze date for the region is about Nov. 7, Kelley said. But a sound harvest aid program can take care of both issues, should either occur.
“You just have to stay on top of it,” he said. “I do feel that if we can dodge fall rains and have an open fall with good maturation temperatures, both irrigated and dryland yields could be excellent.”