W074-Managing Late-Planted Cotton

Traditionally, cotton planting in Tennessee starts near the end of April and continues until mid-May, with the bulk of the cotton planted during the first and second weeks of May. Oftentimes, producers are forced to plant outside of these recognized windows. Although Tennessee has recently experienced longer than normal growing seasons and higher than average DD-60 accumulation, long-term historical data shows that in 50 percent of the last 30 years, a killing freeze could occur during the second and third weeks of October (Table 1). Fortunately, early-maturing varieties, Bt cotton for worm control and boll weevil eradication allow for a potentially longer season.