The Effect of Potash Level on Several Characters in Four Strains of Upland Cotton which Differ in Foliage Growth 1

C rust, attributed to a deficiency of potash, is common i the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Even when 40 to 6o pounds per acre of potash are applied, the deficiency symptoms occur in cotton grown on many soils. Defoliation, shriveled bolls, and reduced yields are the general results. Observations indicate that the severity of potash-deficiency symptoms differ in cotton varieties. Light-foliaged varieties seem to show earlier deficiency symptoms and varieties with largest leaf area remain normal longer and give larger yields when potash is deficient. Previous studies at the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station have indicated that heavy-foliaged strains shed less than light-foliage types, regardless of weevil population or seasons. Isely (~)8 in Arkansas has shown that leaf size has little influence upon weevil damage where plants were ,of the same size. The results of experiments reported in this paper show the effect of potash on plant foliage and faetors associated with cotton yield on four strains of upland cotton. The experiments were made on Tiffon sandy loam at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tiffon, Ga.