Effect of Agrometeorological Factors on the Cotton Fiber Fineness

A. STOILOVA and G. NIKOLOV

Cotton and Durum Wheat Research Institute, BG – 6200 Chirpan, Bulgaria

Abstract

STOILOVA, A. and G. NIKOLOV, 2000. Effect of agrometeorological factors on the cotton fiber fineness. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 6: 291-294

On the basis of ten-year field trials conducted in 1987-1998 the effect on the meteorological factors – rainfall, temperature sum, air humidity deficits and relative air humidity on the fibre metric number of two genotypically divers cotton cultivars – Belly izvor and Avangard-264 was found. For the first time ten-day and monthly values of the correlation coefficients and regression equations between the basic meteorological factors and fibre fineness were found that could be used to prognosticate the magnitude of this important technological character. The effect of the meteorological factors on the fibre fineness was the strongest expressed during the second stage of the boll development covering the second half of August and September. For the first time it vas found that the correlation between the metric number of fibre and deficits in air humidity in September and specially during the second ten days of this month was the strongest expressed (r = 0.922, 0.944). The correlations with the temperature sum and the relative air humidity were also very strongly.

Key words: cotton, fibre, fineness, meteorological factors, correlations, regressions