1. Field of the Invention
The invention is drawn to an improved method for the production of cotton with enhanced growth and yield, and reduced water usage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plant growth is affected by a variety of physical and chemical factors. Physical factors include available light, day length, moisture and temperature. Chemical factors include minerals, nitrates, cofactors, nutrients, and plant growth regulators or hormones.
Plant growth regulators can be defined as compounds or preparations which, in minute amounts, alter the behavior of ornamental or crop plants and/or the products of such plants through physiological (hormonal) rather than physical action. They may either accelerate or retard growth, prolong or break a dormant condition, promote rooting, fruit-set, or increase fruit size or quantity, or affect the growth and/or productivity of plants in other ways. Plant growth regulators are commonly classified into one or more of six categories: auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene generators, inhibitors, and retardants. Examples of known auxins include indole acetic acid, 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), MCPA (4-chloro-2-methyl phenoxyacetic acid), MCPB (4-[4-chloro-o-tolyloxy]butyric acid) which susceptible plants oxidize to MCPA, and BNOA (beta-napthoxyacetic acid). Gibberellins include gibberellic acid and its derivatives, while cytokinins include compositions such as zeatin, kinetin (6-furfurylamino purine), benzyladenine (6-benzylamino purine or BAP), and benzyl anidene. Known ethylene generators include ethylene and Ethephon (2-chloroethyl)phosphoric acid, while known inhibitors include benzoic acid, gallic acid, and cinnamic acid, and retardants include compositions which are especially useful in plant height control, particularly in commercial greenhouse-grown floricultural crops.
Preparations based on cytokinins, such as kinetin and BAP, are also known to be growth stimulators. However, cytokinin-based preparations have generally been shown to be most effective in combination with auxins. Moreover, relatively little research has been conducted to examine the effects of cytokinins on cotton, and cytokinins have generally been found to have little effect on cotton or have inhibited or even killed the plant.