Cotton is the driving economic force for many rural communities in West Tennessee, and historically, the prosperity of this area has depended on cotton.  Even in years when cotton acres decline due to weather or high grain prices, to many local producers this crop is still "King."

Researchers at the West Tennessee Research & Education Center identify high yielding varieties and determine management strategies that will produce consistency in cotton production; key steps in improving the profitablity and sustainability of Tennessee cotton.

 

Current UT Research Projects at WTREC are...

  • Evalutating new herbicide trait technology
  • Determining financial feasiblity of variable rate irrigation system
  • Evaluating the effects of new foliar fertilizer products
  • Optimizing nitrogen and irrigation timing rates at each growth stage
  • Developing sound control strategies for glyphosate resistant weeds in cotton
  • Finding the effectiveness of foliar-applied potassium and whether it can overcome K-deficiency symptoms due to low soil moisture
  • Evaluating the efficacy and relative value of seed treatments
  • Providing farmers fertilization application guidelines to correct S and Zn deficiencies in cotton
  • Providing weed management information to cotton growers
  • Determining impact of at-planting and in-season insecticide applications on insect populations and yield
  • Testing yield response of cotton to irrigation
  • Evaluating agronomic performance of cotton to different plant growth regulators, defoliants and fertility regimes
  • Evaluating cover crops and tillage on cotton production