Response of cotton fiber quality to the carbohydrates in the leaf subtending the cotton boll

This study investigated the effect of nitrogen (N) fertilization on leaf and boll N and carbohydrate concentrations in the development of fiber quality. A two-year field study was conducted with two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars, Kemian 1 (average fiber strength 35 cN tex–1) and NuCOTN 33B (average fiber strength 32 cN tex–1) at five (2008) and four (2009) N levels. The relationship between leaf and boll N and carbohydrate concentrations was assessed from measurements of N, carbohydrates, chlorophyll (based on SPAD readings), and free amino acids in the leaf subtending the boll, together with fiber carbohydrates and development of fiber quality. Results indicate that leaf N concentration more accurately reflected boll N status than the concentration of chlorophyll or free amino acids. Leaf sucrose and nonstructural carbohydrate had a quadratic relation with leaf N concentration (p < 1%). The optimal leaf N concentration ranged from 3.0% to 2.4%. During 24–38 d post-anthesis (DPA), fiber sucrose was positively related to leaf sucrose and nonstructural carbohydrate (p < 5%), but was not correlated with leaf starch or total soluble carbohydrates. Fiber strength was positively correlated with fiber sucrose before 38 DPA, and it appeared to be more easily influenced by the fiber sucrose concentration than fiber length, fineness, or maturity. These results suggest that 24–38 DPA is a crucial period for fiber development which might be significantly influenced by physiological and ecological factors. In addition, sucrose or nonstructural carbohydrates in the subtending leaf could be used as a monitoring index to evaluate sucrose levels in the developing fiber, and also for predicting the final fiber strength.