By John Lovett
With the 2026 cotton planting season in full swing, research out of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station provides a fresh reminder of the importance of sufficient potassium for cotton lint yield and quality.
Over the past decade, potassium deficiency has become more common across the U.S. Cotton Belt as farmers use more modern, high-yielding cotton cultivars that have greater nutrient demands, according to Gerson Drescher, an assistant professor of soil fertility in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences for the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
In 10 field trials conducted during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons at three Arkansas locations, results showed that potassium fertilization increased cotton yields by up to 70 percent in potassium-deficient soils. No response was observed in soils with optimum potassium availability.
“The results emphasize that adequate potassium management is key to maximizing both cotton yield potential and fiber quality,” Drescher said. “The study also showed that lint turnout and quality are positively affected by potassium fertilization, with fiber elongation and strength being more strongly related to potassium availability than other lint quality parameters.”
Potassium is crucial for plant photosynthesis and water regulation, both of which directly affect fiber development and lint yield.
The Soil Science Society of America Journal published the Arkansas study results as “Furrow-irrigated cotton yield and fiber quality response to potassium fertilization.”
The first author was Maria Paula R. Prado, a former graduate student in the Arkansas Soil Fertility program and Drescher’s lab.
Source : uada.edu