Effect of Starter Fertilizer in Cotton

 The seven color image above shows a classified aerial image of a cotton field in south Alabama. The field was planted in the same variety. The grower started planting on the east side. At planting he added a starter fertilizer of 25 units of nitrogen. Approximately 3/4 into the field he doubled the amount of starter fertilizer. The classified image shows the area where the starter fertilizer was applied at double rate to be in classes 6 and 7 compared to the areas where the starter was applied at single rate. This indicates that there was more vegetation in the areas where the starter fertilizer was doubled compared to the rest of the field.
       An image like this can be very important when spraying a growth regulator. The increased vegetation might require a higher rate of growth regulator to increase profitability. Differences like these can easily be overlooked from the ground.

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