SIDEDRESS NITROGEN RATES AND COSTS FOR SOUTHEASTERN COTTON PRODUCTION

-1 at sidedress, while the other four rows were not fertilized. Nitrogen rates for cotton following the non-fertilized cover crop indicated that 30 lb N ac -1 applied at planting followed by 60 lb N ac -1 at sidedress was consistently effective for maximum lint yield across all three growing seasons. Cotton grown following a cover crop fertilized with 30 lb N ac -1 or 1 ton poultry litter ac -1 consistently produced maximum yields with 90 lb N ac -1 applied at sidedress across all three years of the study. These data represent multiple growing seasons but only one variety and one soil type; however, the results indicate that cotton following high residue cover crops may not always require N fertilizer above currently recommended rates to maximize yields.