High input costs combined with multiple management and material inputs have threatened cotton productivity. We hypothesize that this problem can be addressed by a single fertilization at flowering with late sowing in a moderately populated plant stand. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the cotton biomass accumulation, phosphorus dynamics, and fiber quality under three planting densities (low, 3 × 104; moderate, 6 × 104; and dense, 9 × 104 ha−1) and two cultivars (Zhongmian-16 and J-4B). High planting density had 6.2 and 12.6% larger stems and fruiting nodes m−2, while low density produced a 37.5 and 59.4% maximum height node ratio. Moderate density produced 26.4–15.5%, 24.7–12.6%, and 10.5–13.6% higher biomass accumulation rate at the peak bloom, boll set, and plant removal stages over low and high density in both years, respectively. J-4B produced a higher reproductive organs biomass yield when compared with Zhongmian-16 in both years. This higher biomass formation was due to both the higher average (0.8 VT kg·ha−1·d−1) and maximum (1.0 VM kg·ha−1·d−1) reproductive organ phosphorus uptake, respectively. Plants with low density had 5.3–18.5%, 9.5–15%, and 7.8–12.8% greater length, strength, and micronaire values over moderate and dense plants, respectively. Conclusively, moderate density with J-4B is a promising option for improved biomass, phosphorus acquisition, and fiber quality under a short season.
Evaluation of the use of low-density LiDAR data to estimate structural attributes and biomass yield in a short-rotation willow coppice: an example in a field trial
