Cotton growers urged to wait to defoliate | News

With Isaac on the way, Arkansas cotton growers are being told to hold off on spraying defoliants until Wednesday.

Defoliating is an essential step in harvesting.

Tom Barber, extension cotton agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, says by Wednesday they “should have a better idea of where Isaac will make landfall and where the track will be.”

He says leaves on the cotton plants can help protect the bolls from heavy rain and wind.

“If Isaac tracks to the east of the Mississippi, then we will probably not receive much rain and applications can resume,” Barber said.  “High winds could cause cotton to lodge with this storm, making defoliation applications more difficult and expensive.”

On the positive side, he said sometimes the plants stand back up.

For more information, contact your county extension office.