Primeiros resultados Coodetec-Cirad sobre algodao adensado colhido com colheitadeira de tipo stripper em Mato-Grosso

Ultra-narrow-row-cotton UNRC is a technology able to improve yield and earliness and/or reduce production costs by use low cotton-strippers instead of pickers. As Facual was interested in testing both a national prototype and an imported model of stripper, Coodetec proposal was directed to get local references with UNRC harvested by stripper. Trials were conduced in 2002-03 e 2003-04 in 3 farms of Campo Verde (MT) but were harvested by stripper only in the second year. In the first yew biais, managed with late sowing dates and early growth control, UNRC designs increased yields until 20 to 30 plants/m2. Vegetative cultivars were less adapted to UNRC. Among studied cultivars, best were FM966, CD406 and Makina. Earliness was not improved, except moderately with FM966 at high stands. In the second year, with very late sowings as in second crop conditions, UNRC managed without plant growth regulator (but with weevil control) achieved good yields. Quantitative losses with stripper harvest were moderate, and cotton was clean, but preliminary sampling indicated higher neps content Strict stand control is required, incompatible with use of drill seeders of fertilizer spreaders. CD406 was the most productive cultivar in adverse conditions (compacted soils) or less favorable conditions (sorghum cover crop), and FM966 less rustic.