By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia Extension Cotton Team remind producers about the importance of planting their dryland crop on the heels of a rain event.
Chances of rain are high for this upcoming weekend. Growers should optimize their planting schedules to take advantage of much needed moisture, says Camp Hand, UGA Extension cotton agronomist.
“If we get (substantial rain), the first thing I’d be thinking about is planting dryland acres. That’s one thing I think we’ve got to take advantage of. Historically, May is a dry month for us. If we can use this moisture that we’re hopefully about to get, optimize stand establishment especially on our dryland acres then I think we need to do that,” Hand said.
According to weather.com, thunderstorms are highly possible from Thursday through Sunday for Tifton, Georgia.
Dryland fields refer to those cotton acres that are produced without the benefit of irrigation. They depend solely on rainfall to provide moisture. That is why it is vital that growers use the potential wet weather to their advantage.
“You can water on your irrigated acres. You can work with that a little bit, but you’ve got to work with Mother Nature on this dryland,” Hand said.