Grow USDA Certified Organic Cotton on a Farm

Farmers Can Market Bales of Natural Fibers to Garment Manufacturers

Sep 28, 2009

Organic cotton production is possible when farmers use cover crops and other natural pest and disease controls to stop boll weevils, bollworms, and boll rot.

One doesn’t have to be involved in the garment industry to notice that the demand for organic cotton is on the rise, popular in products from baby clothing to towels and sheets. Once considered the province of luxury retailers, consumers can buy organic cotton products from retailers like Wal-Mart and Target.

Texas, Arizona, and California produce the most bales of organic cotton in the United States, but according to the National Cotton Council of America, at least 20 states have the right growing conditions to produce organic cotton. Organic farmers must learn about cotton pests, diseases, and plant culture before determining if they can make a profit with this crop.

Trap Cropping and Cotton

Planting a trap crop to lure insects from the cash cotton crop isn’t a new idea; in fact, farmers in the 1800s used fall-planted cotton to concentrate the boll weevil population, which they then destroyed. Today’s organic farmer can enhance a trap crop of early or late cotton by using commercially available pheromones to increase the boll weevils’ attraction to the trap crop. The farmer can then destroy the pests with an approved organic pesticide.

Cover Crops for Cotton Plants

Cotton plants benefit from cover crops which enrich the soil with nitrogen, suppress weeds, and prevent soil erosion. Furthermore, cover crops provide cover for spiders and food for beneficial insects, which then travel to adjacent cotton fields to control pests. A combination cover crop of rye and hairy vetch performs well in warm cotton growing areas.

Cotton Plant Insect Pests

Several caterpillar pests feed on cotton bolls, squares, and blooms, including cutworms, armyworms, loopers, and bollworms. The organic pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) attacks all these pests by paralyzing the caterpillar’s digestive tract. Early detection of caterpillar damage is important to maximize the efficacy of Bt. Farmers can also get the most from Bt applications by applying the pesticide at night, as the sun causes product breakdown.

In addition to the aforementioned trap cropping, farmers should employ other organic control methods to stop the notorious boll weevil from destroying their cotton crop. Cultivating an early maturing cotton variety thwarts the second generation of weevils, considered to be the most destructive. Impeccable field sanitation also prevents the boll weevil from over wintering in cotton stalks, so farmers must remove as much crop residue as possible.

Cotton Plant Diseases

Three fungal soil diseases which cause significant damage to cotton plants are Fusarium, Texas root rot, and Verticillium wilt, and reduction of these diseases starts with improving soil health. Healthy soils support beneficial soil organisms, which compete for space and nutrients against plant pathogens. Applying compost and compost tea not only fertilizes cotton plants, but also introduces beneficial microorganisms that exclude plant pathogens.

The copyright of the article Grow USDA Certified Organic Cotton on a Farm in Organic Farming is owned by Jamie McIntosh. Permission to republish Grow USDA Certified Organic Cotton on a Farm in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.