ARS | Publication request: Cytokinin amelioration of yield losses from drought and nematodes

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 2, 2011
Publication Date: January 5, 2012
Citation: Burke, J.J. 2012. Cytokinin amelioration of yield losses from drought and nematodes. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. 13125.

Technical Abstract: The influence of applied plant growth regulators (PGR) on growth, development and yield in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. and Gossypium barbadense L.) has been studied for over half a century. Studies of PGR containing cytokinin alone or in combination with gibbererillins applied at the pinhead square developmental stage have reported both positive and negative effects; however, a majority of the studies report no significant effects on cotton. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a foliar application of a commercial formulation of cytokinin (6-benzyladenine) during the early stages of seedling development, long before the pinhead square stage. Commercial cotton lines were evaluated under water-stress alone; and under limited water in a field infested with nematode. Yield enhancements associated with the cytokinin treatment will be discussed.