Specialists Speaking- Randy Norton
Randy Norton
ARIZONA
Most of the Arizona cotton crop has experienced a strong start to the 2026 season. Uncharacteristically warm temperatures from late February through mid-April provided excellent planting conditions. Early season fruit set has begun, with squares and some early flowers now being observed across the state, particularly in Southwestern Arizona.
Protecting this early season fruit set is critical for achieving optimum yields and promoting timely crop termination in the fall. Loss of early fruit can lead to excessive vegetative growth, delayed maturity, and reduced yields.
Abortion of young fruiting structures, including small squares and young flowers, may result from several factors, including environmental stress such as hot, dry winds, inadequate soil moisture, and early season insect pressure.
Recent years have seen historically low insect populations across Arizona, allowing many growers to manage cotton with minimal insect control inputs. However, it is important to remember the old saying: “Past performance is no indication of future results.”
Regular scouting remains critical to ensure insect pest populations do not reach damaging levels. Scouting guidelines and control recommendations for major Arizona cotton pests, along with other cotton production information, is available at extension.arizona.edu/topics/cotton.
Randy Norton
ARIZONA
