Pima Cotton Management

Shawna Loper
With the renewed interest in Pima cotton in the area, thought it would be a good idea to spend a little time on it. As some of you may know Pima cotton has a reputation for being more difficult and somewhat more costly to grow than Upland cotton. There is a significant amount of crop management requirements for Pima cotton that goes beyond that of Upland. On top of that Pima yields are lower than upland. Pima can be very vigorous and if not managed properly will grow large plant with minimal fiber. Because of this it is important to approach nutrient management in Pima more cautiously. Excessive N can easily lead to excessive vegetative growth. If you haven’t listened to my recommendations before on soil and tissue sampling now might be the time to do so for you Pima fields. By doing analysis it will give you an idea of your N levels so you know who much you should or shouldn’t be applying in order to evade excessive growth.
For more information on growing Pima check out this publication by Dr. Jeff Silvertooth: Agronomic Guidelines for Pima Cotton Production in Arizona.