The 1999 Arizona Cotton Advisory Program

Abstract

Arizona Cooperative Extension generates and distributes weather-based Planting Date and Cotton Development Advisories for 19 cotton production areas (Aguila, Buckeye, Cochise Co., Coolidge, Eloy, , Laveen, Litchfield Pk., Marana, Maricopa, Mohave Valley, Paloma, Parker, Pinal Co., Queen Creek, Roll, Safford and Yuma Valley). Planting Date Advisories are distributed from legal first planting date until the end of April and provide updates on heat-unit-based planting windows, recent and forecasted weather conditions, heat unit accumulations, variety selection, soil temperatures, recommended plant population, and early insect management and control. Cotton Development Advisories are distributed from early May through early September and provide updates on crop development, insects, weather and agronomy. The Cotton Advisory Program will continue in 1999, and growers may obtain advisories by mail/fax from local extension offices or by computer from the AZMET Internet Web Page (http://ag.arizona.edu/azmet). Major program changes planned for 1999 include 1) use of historical AZMET weather data for local normals and 2) elimination of the computer bulletin board as a computer-based means of retrieving the advisories.