The period from Fruiting to Finish is important in maintaining the strong foundation for yield and fiber quality that was created during The First Forty Days. At 40 days after planting, the yield potential already is established; the crop should be healthy and uniform, characteristics that aid crop management through defoliation and harvest.

A holistic crop management program brings together the BMPs of The First Forty Days with those designed to maintain and protect for Fruiting to Finish.

The optimum cotton crop during the Fruiting to Finish period:

As with The First Forty Days, measurement criteria are very important in a holistic crop management program. Even considering different growing environments, the benchmarks for success are similar.

• Square retention Square retention during this period should range from 70 percent to 80 percent. By season-end, the goal is a minimum of 60 percent square retention, equally distributed up and down the plant. Square retention would be monitored during insect scouting.

• Boll distribution. Strive for a compactly fruited plant with harvestable bolls evenly distributed over at least 10 nodes, ranging up to 14 nodes. The plant would be in effective bloom for three to four weeks. Boll retention rates generally should range from 50 percent to 65 percent, with 80 percent of the yield in the first position.

• Plant Height. Final plant height would be within 10 percent, plus or minus, of row width. If the crop is taller, there is potential for boll rot. The exception would be Southwest stripper cotton, which would not exceed row width. For ultra narrow-row cotton, the final plant height should be less than 28 inches.

• Senescence. The plant would be senescing naturally with a visual decline in leaf number. Fertility plays a major role, with most available nitrogen used before senescence