BASF Shares Harvest Tips for Cotton Growers This Season
As the 2025 cotton harvest season gets underway, BASF is offering practical tips to help growers maximize yield, reduce regrowth, and maintain fiber quality. We spoke with Kaitlin Saul, South Delta Technical Service Representative with BASF, who provided expert insight into optimal harvest timing and product recommendations.
“So some things to keep in mind is that normally you’re going to want to harvest whenever you have 60 to 70 percent of those bowls open. You can also use a method known as the nodes above crack bowl, the NACB. So normally you would want four or less of those NACB remaining, and that will tell you that your crop is ready to be harvested.”
To improve cotton defoliation and speed up dry down, Saul recommends using Sharpen herbicide, a harvest aid developed by BASF.
“And whenever we’re thinking about harvest, one really great option is going to be sharpened herbicide, which BASF sells. And sharpened herbicide is a harvest aid that will help to provide faster dry down, defoliation, and also reduce that regrowth.”
Using Sharpen herbicide as part of a two-pass system is ideal for achieving more complete defoliation and suppression of regrowth, particularly in fields prone to excessive vegetation.
“So whenever we think about the timing for when we would want to use the sharpened herbicide, it’s normally better in a two-pass system, and that will help with a more complete defoliation and also suppress some of that regrowth.”
Weather conditions also play a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness of harvest aids.
“And whenever you’re thinking about making, just applying harvest aids in general and defoliants, you want to make sure that you’re applying during warm, sunny weather. That will make it more favorable for that cotton crop to uptake that chemistry and make sure that it’s going to help balance maximizing your yield while also maintaining that fiber quality.”
For more information about Sharpen herbicide and other harvest solutions, visit agriculture.basf.us or contact your local BASF representative or retailer.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.