Dr. Daniel Stephenson

Professor/Specialist-Weed Science|LSU AgCenter

2023 Abstract - GROWING COTTON: PERSPECTIVES OF A FARMER AND A RESEARCHER: Some years, growing cotton can almost be majestic. Timely rainfall to activate residual herbicides, low insect pressure, ½ to 1 inch of rainfall every 10 days. Seems like a paradise. However, cotton producers do not live in that world. Expensive seed and pesticides. Herbicide-resistant weeds. Multiple plant bug infestations. No rain when you need it and 4inches when you need 1 inch. Even through these problems, producers can successfully produce a cotton crop. To raise cotton, a producer must balance their pocketbook, what their experience teaches, and information provided by university scientists and pesticide dealers. This presentation will focus on the balance that must be struck between what the data says and what can actually be done.