Response of Cotton to Cultivation

Yields of cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL. ‘Stoneville 213′) did not differ with various cultivation practices on two soils in Alabama over a 3 to 5-yr period. Cultivation treatments resulted in cotton yields equivalent to but not greater than those resulting from weed removal without soil stirring. However, lack of any weed control resulted in more than 90% yield reduction on Decatur clay loam soil based on a 5-yr average and 95% yield reduction on Hartsells fine sandy loam soil, based on a 3-yr average.