The recent welcome rainfall across Oklahoma has spirits high among agricultural producers, including those anticipating the cotton planting season. Farm Director KC Sheperd caught up with Jenny Dudak, OSU cotton extension specialist, who recently shed light on the crucial early planting considerations for this important crop.
The conversation began with a shared appreciation for the much-needed moisture around the state: ” It was well needed, and we were just thanking God for it.”
Dudak emphasized that the recent rain often sparks excitement, although the planting season isn’t yet in full swing. “We’re not quite there yet as far as planting, but with this rain that we got, I’m assuming folks are going to start getting a little excited about plant season coming up,” she noted. She then outlined key factors to monitor as planting approaches. “You want to make sure that you’re monitoring those air temperatures. You want to look for highs in the mid-80s and then lows above 60 because that’s pretty optimal for plant growth and development.”
Dudak discussed heat unit accumulation to refine planting timing further. “If you’re going to take into consideration your DD 60s accumulation, you need about 50 to 60 heat units for that plant to emerge out of the ground. After that, you want to look for between six to ten heat units per day for that favorable cotton growth.” She also pointed to a valuable resource for producers: “If you do want to track your heat units or DD 60s, there is a Mesonet website that you can go to and look up the heat units. It’s a great resource to use.”
A critical reason for ensuring rapid early growth is pest management. “You want to make sure that your plant is growing and developing rapidly to thwart thrip pressure. Thrips are something that we normally deal with every season, or every season that I’ve seen cotton in Oklahoma, and they will stunt the growth and maturity of that plant if populations get high enough. So for a plant that’s growing rapidly – getting to that four or five true leaf stage more quickly – it will help take away that thrip pressure.”
Beyond air temperature and heat units, soil temperature is paramount. “Also, something to take into consideration is soil temperature. You want to make sure that you’re planting in at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit in that germination zone. That’s as simple as just taking a thermometer and sticking it right in the ground, right into the germination zone, and then making sure that your soil temps are at least 65 degrees.”
For those considering pushing the planting window, Dudak offered a specific recommendation: “If you want to push the envelope a little bit and plant early, I do encourage you to give your supplier a call. They can give you your cool germ percentage. And that’s also something to take into consideration with the seed that you have.”
The discussion then turned to the potential benefits and drawbacks of early planting. “Well, it’s kind of risky, it could go both ways. If you plant early and push that crop, then if we get an early freeze in the fall, you might get lucky and be one of those guys that doesn’t have to deal with the freeze because you got your cotton out early. But you could run into issues if you plant too early in the spring if we get a cold snap or something like that, hurting your stand or just the overall growth of the cotton plant. So it is a risk. Sometimes, it pays off, but if we get an early freeze in the fall, you could risk losing some of your stands due to a freeze in the spring.”
The risk of adverse weather extends beyond just cold temperatures. Producers could also risk losing cottonseed if torrential rains do decide to fall across the state after they have planted. “They might end up replanting. That’s something also to take into consideration. Just watch your forecast. I know that you can’t really bet on the forecast 14 days out because we live in Oklahoma, but that is something that you also want to be looking at: weather trends, temperature trends, and things like that. You know, at least seven days out after you plan on planting.”
Looking ahead, Dudak highlighted an upcoming educational opportunity for cotton producers. “On April 17, we have a cotton meeting in Altus at Western Oklahoma State College. It starts at 11 a.m., and there are two CEU credits offered and topics that are going to be covered. We’ll have our extension plant pathologist. She’s going to cover cotton diseases and nematodes. We’re also going to have our extension entomologist, and she’s going to cover cotton insect management. I’m going to be there discussing cotton varieties and some more of these early season considerations in depth. Maxwell Smith, who is our cotton IPM agent in Altus, will be talking about cotton weed management. So we have a good lineup of folks, and there should be a lot of good information.”
