Cotton Data Sets

Over the years, scientists at the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Maryland, have been working with various Universities collecting data for use with cotton model development.

Objective(s): The objective was to develop a comprehensive, mechanistic cotton simulation model incorporating recent advances in cotton physiology, mathematical analysis, modeling techniques and computer science. To accomplish this task studies were conducted to evaluate (1) the effects of variables associated with global climate change, i.e. carbon dioxide, temperature, water stress and plant nutrition on cotton physiology, especially on growth, developmental rates, photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration and water use efficiency, (2) to study the direct and interactive effects of temperature and carbon dioxide on mainstem and branch expansion rates, node initiation, fruiting, leaf initiation and expansion rates, and (3) to develop a database for comprehensive cotton models which can be used for predicting the effects of future climate change on physiological process in cotton production.

Several field, greenhouse and controlled- environment studies on cotton crops were conducted. The interactive effects of carbon dioxide, temperature and nitrogen nutrition on physiological processes of cotton were determined. Data on root growth, stem elongation, node addition, leaf initiation and expansion, fruiting and abscission were summarized. The effects of carbon dioxide, temperature, and nitrogen nutrition on cotton photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and water use efficiency were also summarized. Studies on measuring root growth and development were initiated for model development. Over 104 comprehensive data sets were collected consisting of data on plant, soil, weather and management variables for validation of the ARS cotton model.