By Steve Brown
Southeast Farm Press
The long-accepted standard for growth intervals between 1st position cotton fruit on consecutive nodes, or fruiting branches, is 3 days. The accepted interval between fruiting positions on the same fruiting branch is 6 days.
The basis of these intervals dates back to original research in 1916 which indicated the vertical interval between flowering was about 3 days and the horizontal interval was about 6 days. Thus, 3 UP and 6 OUT are widely, commonly accepted. Other investigations over the years have suggested slightly different intervals both vertical and horizontal.