FACTORS INFLUENCING YIELD AND QUALITY OF MISSISSIPPI DELTA COTTON.

Research was conducted in 1983 and 1984 to evaluate the effect of varieties, harvest timing, and level of lint cleaning on cotton yield and fiber quality. The varieties included two smooth leaf types and three hairy leaf types. The major factor influencing yield in this study was year (environment). The analysis indicated that the number of lint cleaners had a large effect on net yield. Cotton quality factors were highly influenced by the degree of weathering (rainfall) the open cotton received, by the level of lint cleaning, and by variety. Rainfall reduced quality primarily through a reduction in color, lint cleaning increased grade, and the smooth leaf varieties produced higher grades than the hairy leaf types.