All posts by Tyson Raper, Cotton & Small Grains Specialist

26 Aug 2019

2019 University of Tennessee Cotton Tour, Wednesday, Sept. 4th

26 Aug 2019
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The West Tennessee Research and Education Center (WTREC) would like to cordially invite you to the 2019 University of Tennessee Cotton Tour.  This event is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 4th at the WTREC (605 Airways Blvd., Jackson, TN 38301).  Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the tour departing at 8:30.  The tour will end at noon with lunch. University of Tennessee Extension and Research personnel from across the state will be presenting on a wide range of topics including: fungicides and target spot, weed and resistance management, variety testing, defoliation, insect control, and drought mitigation, just to mention a few.  Pesticide Re-certification and CCA points will be available. Continue reading →


17 Aug 2019

Estimating lint yield from boll counts

17 Aug 2019
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I’ve resisted writing this post for 5 years because I think estimating lint yield from boll counts only provides enough insight to differentiate between poor, decent and good cotton.  Still, I understand the temptation to count one’s chickens before they hatch.  In this blog, I highlight a few issues with estimates and define the number of bolls required to produce one and two bales at various row spacings and patterns. Continue reading →


07 Aug 2019

‘Impacts of the Trade War on the U.S. Cotton Sector’ by Dr. Andrew Muhammad and Dr. Aaron Smith

07 Aug 2019
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Dr. Andrew Muhammad and Dr. Aaron Smith published an Extension article earlier this week entitled “Impacts of the Trade War on the U.S. Cotton Sector.”  I found the article to be extremely informative and while we typically focus on production issues, felt it was appropriate to share here.  You can access the publication by clicking the image or  following this hyperlink: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W835.pdf

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31 Jul 2019

Sulfur deficiencies in cotton

31 Jul 2019
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Over the past month, I’ve received several images of sulfur deficiencies in cotton.  While we are quickly approaching a point in which a sulfur fertilizer application will be unable to impact yield in 2019, understanding what a sulfur deficiency looks like may help identify areas which will likely respond to the nutrient during the 2020 season.  This blog covers the characteristics of a sulfur deficiency, presents atmospheric deposition data, and highlights current UT recommendations for the nutrient in cotton production. Continue reading →


23 Jul 2019

Managing growth after Hurricane Barry

23 Jul 2019
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The calendar says late July, but the chill on the wind this morning made it seem like we had to be deep enough into the football schedule for a solid SEC football match-up on Saturday.  This blog covers a few points concerning cotton growth under mid-season daytime and nighttime temperatures between 85 and 65 following excessive rainfall. Continue reading →


19 Jul 2019

Cotton response to saturated soils in West TN

19 Jul 2019
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Authors: Avat Shekoofa and Tyson Raper

Reports of ‘sudden wilt’, ‘parawilt’, or ‘wet wilt’ began Wednesday afternoon and continued through Thursday. This article briefly explains the phenomena and discusses management during recovery. 

Fig. 1: Prolonged periods of saturation resulted in wilt in many areas of West Tennessee following Hurricane Barry. 18 July 2019

Continue reading →