Cotton: California Steaming

California’s cotton crop has moved into a critical period in the last few days. Temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley – where most of the state’s cotton is grown – have shifted into triple-digits and will hang in that range well into the new week, based on all the forecasts we’ve seen lately.

Temperatures at or above 100 aren’t necessarily unusual in the SJV. But prolonged stretches can still disrupt pollination and otherwise stress plants. Earlier last week, forecasts called for daytime highs up to 111 or 112. Since then, the numbers have backed down a bit. But the Monday high predicted for Fresno is 109, and Bakersfield’s forecast calls for 110 on Monday.

That’s plenty hot, even without humidity. Dale Deshane, an independent PCA in Bakersfield, said late last week, “These kinds of temperatures aren’t good for any crop.”

Nighttime lows will mostly be easing into the 70s, albeit in the high 70s during one stretch. The big fear has been that lows would remain in the 80s or even low 90s, forcing plants to excessively use up carbohydrates – and yield potential – in order to respirate and cool off at night.

One thing perhaps going in the crop’s favor is that a relatively small amount of it has started blooming. A succession of storms blew through the central valley this spring, keeping growers from planting many acres before mid April. By now, cotton should have been in bloom throughout a wider part of the valley, but blooms didn’t start turning up in the extreme south valley this year until about about June 12, reports Deshane.