2025 Mid South Cotton Defoliation Guide
Chemical harvest aids are applied to almost every cotton acre in the Midsouth. These products allow the perennial crop to be manipulated into a timely, single-pass harvest. Leaf material remaining on the plant at harvest is the primary source of staining and trash. When properly applied, the removal of leaves and opening of bolls generated by harvest aids results in a substantial increase in yield, improvement of fiber quality, reduction of boll rot, and increase in picker efficiency. Harvest aids used in cotton production are broadly organized as either defoliants, boll openers, or desiccants.