By Robert Burns
Texas A&M AgriLife
Some farmers were concerned about the recent ice and rain in the High Plains causing deterioration of cotton grade and quality, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service reports.
However, Dr. Gaylon Morgan, AgriLife Extension state cotton specialist, College Station, said past studies have shown one such event usually does not adversely affect grade or quality to any significant degree.
Morgan cited a study done by Dr. Randy Boman and Mark Kelley in 2001 that showed weathering can impact fiber quality over time.
Boman, now with Oklahoma State University, is the past regional cotton agronomist based in Lubbock. Kelley is the current program specialist for AgriLife Extension’s South Plains region.
“There’s no doubt that over time, fiber quality does decrease, but it’s a gradual process,” Morgan said. “And I don’t think the rain and ice storm is going to make a dramatic impact on fiber quality.”
Also, a single storm is not going to seriously delay the typical harvest time of cotton in the Texas High Plains or Rolling Plains, and that’s a factor that should be taken into account, he said.
“Now if we were getting into January or February, then yes, the quality does progressively go down over time. But given the storm happened at the end of November, we do not expect this one event to affect quality much.”
The intensity of such a storm can also be a factor as well, Morgan said. An extremely heavy rain can literally pull the lint off the plant.
“But it is my impression that most of this precipitation was not intense,” he said.
If several ice and rain storms follow, further delaying harvest, then over time bark content would be expected to increase for stripper-harvested cotton. Leaf grades would typically increase, while strength, length and color would diminish, which can result in substantial discounts, Morgan noted.