COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
	Keith Edmisten Professor and Extension Cotton Specialist	CROP SCIENCE PERSONNEL
	4208 Williams Hall Campus Box 7620 Raleigh, NC 27695-7620
	Phone: (919) 515-4069 FAX: (919) 505-3332 keith_edmisten@ncsu.edu

The Crop Science cotton extension program is designed to provide training and support to county faculty, private consultants and cotton producers. The program focuses on using plant monitoring techniques to manage cotton inputs in a way that maximizes the economic value of inputs while minimizing environmental impacts. The program relies on the cooperation of the experiment station, county faculty, industry and cotton producers. Although a majority of the applied research is conducted on experiment stations, on-farm tests provide valuable information and help to train county faculty. The Crop Science cotton extension program cooperates on several applied research projects with faculty within the department and with faculty from Entomology, Plant Pathology, Soil Science and Agriculture Economics.

Specific projects include defoliation timing, boll opening, regrowth control and defoliation in the harvest aide arena. A major project over the last few years has evolved around the use of plant monitoring techniques to assist with in-season growth regulator applications. This has lead to some very promising work with utilizing wick applicators to apply growth regulators. Basic studies concerning planting rates, nitrogen rates and timing have been conducted to support new production areas such as the Piedmont. A major emphasis is the investigation of 15- cotton compared to cotton grown in conventional row widths. Thrips control, nitrogen rates, plant populations, planting date and growth regulator use are among the areas being investigated in this exciting and promising new area.

Another area of major emphasis at this time is the influence of Roundup applications on fruit retention, reproductive development and seed quality in Roundup Ready cotton. These studies are cooperative research with Dr. John Wilcut and Dr. Randy Wells.

Results of these tests and other production recommendations are made available to county faculty, consultants and growers utilizing various methods including: a 227 page cotton information booklet, field days, growers meetings, newsletters sent electronically and placed on the internet, agent, industry and consultant training.