Large, showy, off-white flowers that arise from buds (squares) and typically last only one day, becoming pinkish on the second and brown on subsequent days; they usually fall from the new, developing boll on days three to five. Cotton blooms are at times attractive sites for bollworm egg deposition, western flower and other thrips, and fall armyworms. Blooms in the tops of cotton plants (blooming out the top) often indicate very dry weather or that the crop is cutting out.

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