Petiole nutrient concentrations of upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L

Experiments were conducted at seven locations in 1969 and 1970 to determine the effects of growth stage, location differences, and cultivars on the Ca, Mg, K, and P concentrations of cotton petioles. In general, nutrient content of cotton petioles was affected more by growth stage and location than by cultivar difference. Calcium and K concentration usually decreased as the cotton plants approached maturity while Mg and P varied with location. Acala 1517D was generally higher in Ca and P concentrations than were any of the other nine cultivars tested. Coker 417 was high in Mg while the Stoneville cultivars were high in K. The high yielding Stoneville 213 was consistently low in Ca and Mg. Acala 1517D was the lowest yielding of all cultivars tested. When using plant analysis to diagnose nutrient levels in cotton, particular consideration should be given to the cultivars sampled. In this experiment more differences were found among cultivars at mid bloom than at any other physiological growth stage investigated.