Evaluation of Harvest Aid Chemicals for the Cotton-Winter Wheat Double Cropping System

Timing of harvest is critical for mechanical picking in cotton production, especially in those regions with double cropping system. Appropriate and safe harvest aids will improve timing and facilitate harvest of cotton in the double cropping system. Three defoliants (dimethipin, thidiazuron, and thidiazuron-diuron) and one boll opener (ethephon) were included in this research. They were evaluated for their effects on defoliation, boll opening, seedcotton yield, seed quality, and fiber quality of field grown cotton when used alone or as a mixture in 2009 and 2010. Defoliation and/or boll opening were increased by all three defoliants and ethephon, especially by mixtures of a defoliant and ethephon. First harvest of seedcotton was significantly increased with defoliant-ethephon mixtures. No significant adverse effects were observed on boll weight, lint percentage, seed quality, and fiber properties. It was estimated that tank mixes of ethephon and one of the three defoliants can improve the adjusted gross revenue. Boll opening can be used as an alternative indicator for the adjusted gross revenue, because, it was linearly and positively correlated with the relative adjusted gross revenue and convenient in measurements. Wheat seedling growth was not affected by thidiazuron, whereas its seedling emergence, root dry weight, relative water content, and electrolyte leakage were adversely affected by dimethipin and thidiazuron-diuron when concentration was above 340 and 100 g (a.i.) ha−1, respectively. 90% defoliation and 80% boll opening were observed with the high rate of thidiazuron-ethephon mixture, but no adverse effects on winter wheat. The results suggested that tank mixes of ethephon with thidiazuron can be used effectively and safely in the cotton-winter wheat double cropping system to improve yield without adverse effects on seed quality and fiber quality.