Fayetteville, Arkansa
February 6, 2003
- By Fred Miller, Science Editor
- Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
- fmiller@uark.edu
-
- A new COTMAN Pocket Field Guide from the University of
Arkansas Division of Agriculture provides a handy reference
for cotton producers and consultants gathering information for
crop management.
-
- COTMAN is a cotton crop monitoring and information system
widely used in cotton-producing states in the South to
summarize crop developmental status, detect stress, and assist
with in-season and end-of-season management decisions. Its
computer software makes it easy to enter data collected from
the field and generate the reports used to make management
decisions.
-
- It was developed by the University of Arkansas Division of
Agriculture with major financial support from Cotton
Incorporated.
-
- "The aim of the program is to optimize yield and quality,
and save money on inputs in order to get the most out of your
crop," said Bill Robertson, extension cotton specialist. To
accomplish this, producers can use COTMAN to promote plant
health and vigor, early fruiting, and to reduce the use of
late-season insecticide applications.
-
- The COTMAN Pocket Field Guide walks users, step-by-step,
through data collection techniques to ensure reliable
information is obtained, said Diana Danforth, senior research
associate at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
This data is then entered into a compuster program, available
free from the U of A Division of Agriculture, that helps guide
producers with tough decisions on irrigation, pesticide
applications and other crop management decisions.
-
- The system is divided into two parts. SQUAREMAN is used to
monitor crop development up to time of first flowers. Reports
provide feedback on square retention and plant stress.
"This is where the program helps you make money," Robertson
said. "It provides a sensitive monitor of plant stress that can
tell producers when small management adjustments can save yields
and prevent the need for larger, costlier adjustments down the
road."
- The second part, BOLLMAN, is used when the crop is
flowering to monitor boll-loading stress and to assist with
end-of-season termination decisions. "BOLLMAN helps save money
by indicating when insecticide use can be terminated,
typically earlier than management systems that don't use
COTMAN," Robertson said. "It utilizes node above white flower
data that extensive research has proven to be effective
indicators of end-of-season timing and management."
-
- Producers can contact their county extension agents for
more information about COTMAN.
- The Pocket Field Guide is available from the Arkansas
Agricultural Experiment Station. It will be mailed with
upgraded COTMAN software to all registered users of the
system. To register for free use of the system and receive the
software and pocket guide, go to the COTMAN Web site, click
the software link, then the "Request the Software" link.
-
- The Web site is
http://www.uark.edu/depts/cotman/.
The system and information about it is also available by
calling the U of A department of agricultural economics and
agribusiness, 479-575-2256, and asking for COTMAN. |