Season length and cultivar determine the optimum evapotranspiration deficit in cotton

In areas where the growing-season length limits cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production, irrigation practices that meet the maximum evapotranspiration (ET) demand have been shown to promote excessive vegetative growth and to reduce yield. Past experiments using limited irrigation in cotton do not provide generalized information on the magnitude of ET deficits that optimize lint yields, however. A study was conducted to determine how season length and cultivar maturity affected the response functions to ET deficits in cotton. Four cultivars (Acala SJ-C1, GC-510, Coker-310, and Jaen) were studied at Cordoba (southwestern Spain) on a Typic Xerofluvent soil under variable irrigation (...)