An economic evaluation of alternative pix application strategies for cotton production using GOSSYM/COMAX

The plant growth regulator pix (mepiquat chloride) is used extensively throughout the USA cotton belt to control excessive plant growth and to enhance early crop maturity in cotton production. Economic returns from pix use can vary greatly across different production environments. This study evaluates the economic returns to dryland cotton obtained from 12 different pix application strategies under two different soil types (Bosket sandy loam and Dundee silty clay loam) and three different weather conditions (normal, cold-wet, and hot-dry) in the Mississippi delta using simulated output from the GOSSYM/COMAX cotton management system. The most profitable pix application strategies varied by soil type. Also, economic returns were larger when using different pix application strategies for different weather conditions as opposed to using one pix application strategy for all weather conditions.