Cotton Disease Loss Estimates from the United States — 2023

Cotton diseases annually reduce yield in the United States. Diseases of importance vary from year to year, and diseases that affect yield are based on many factors, including weather conditions, crop production practices, and variety susceptibility to disease.

Plant pathologists representing 17 U.S. cotton-producing states estimated the percent yield loss from cotton diseases for each participating state. These states accounted for a total production of 12.4 million bales (480 lbs. each) of cotton lint in the United States in 2023 (Figure 1). The yield loss estimates include root rots, stem diseases, seedling blights, foliar diseases, boll rots, and nematodes. For the purpose of this summary, cotton diseases were divided into two categories: foliar and boll or root and stem diseases.

This publication documents the impact of major diseases on cotton production during 2023 in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Cotton pathologists in these states estimate disease loss data annually; data collection began in 1952 for the entire U.S and was expanded to include individual states starting in 1965. It is important to note that methods for estimat­ing disease loss may vary by state and/or over time. The estimates may be based on feedback from university extension and personal experience with disease losses.

Values for cotton disease losses are based on yield before estimated losses occurred for each state and are determined using the formula (harvested bales/[{100 – percent estimated disease loss}/100]). Next, the formula ([percent loss/100] x yield before estimated loss) is used for determination of bales lost for each participating state.

This publication seeks to quantify only yield losses caused by cotton diseases, and does not determine additional costs associated with disease management including crop scouting, fungicide/nematicide application and product cost, research associated with improving cotton varieties, or implementation of other management strategies.

2023 Conditions and Production

The United States produced 12.4 million bales of cotton on 10.2 million acres in 2023. Acreage planted to cotton in 2023 was 3.5 million less than in 2022. Climate conditions during 2023 included warmer than average temperatures for much of the U.S. Some states such as California, Arkansas and Oklahoma experienced above average rainfall while New Mexico, much of Texas, Louisiana and several other southern states were dryer than normal.

2023 National Disease Losses

In 2023, disease reduced cotton yield by 7.4 percent, or 1.4 million bales, across the U.S. Percent yield reduction in 2023 was similar to the values from 2018-2022, but much less than the 12.4 percent average annual yield reduction observed for the 20-year period from 1998-2017.

The top yield reducing disease or disease group in 2023 was root-knot nematodes, followed by reniform nematode, seedling diseases, Stemphylium leaf spot, and boll rots, respectively (Table 1 and Figure 3). Compared to the top five yield-reducing diseases or disease groups, other diseases had much lower yield impacts, although they are still important, yield-limiting diseases of cotton.

Table 1. Estimated cotton yield losses (number of bales) due to diseases in 17 U.S. cotton-producing states in the 2023 growing season.

¹ Meloidogyne incognita is widespread and therefore the species of root-knot nematode that most reduces cotton yield; M. enterolobii causes less than 1 percent of estimated yield reduction due to root-knot nematodes; ² Includes stubby root (Trichodorus and Paratrichodorus) in Alabama and North Carolina and stunt (Tylenchorhynchus) in North Carolina.

Diseases in the Southwestern United States

The states reporting data from the Southwestern cotton-growing region accounted for 31.6 percent of cotton production in the U.S. Root-knot nematodes caused the greatest yield reduction in the Southwestern U.S. in 2023 — with 62,401 bales lost. Reniform nematode caused the second greatest loss followed by seedling diseases, Phymatotrichopsis root rot, and Fusarium wilt (see Table 2). As in 2022, all five of the most significant diseases in this region in 2023 were root and stem diseases. Overall, yield reduction caused by disease in this region was 4.0 percent.  

Table 2. Estimated cotton yield losses due to the five most significant diseases in the Southwestern U.S. states¹ in 2023.

¹ Arizona, California, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

Diseases in the Southeastern United States

The states reporting data from the Southeastern cotton-growing region accounted for 68.4 percent of cotton production in the U.S. Root-knot nematodes were the greatest cause of yield reduction followed by reniform nematode, seedling diseases, Stemphylium leaf spot, and boll rots. Due to the climate of Southeastern U.S. states, foliar and boll diseases are more likely to pose problems compared to arid Southwestern states. Diseases reduced yield by an estimated 8.9 percent in Southeastern states, a value more than twice that observed in the Southwestern U.S.

Table 3. Estimated cotton yield losses due to the five most significant diseases in the Southeastern U.S. states¹ in 2023.

¹ Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia 

Disclaimer

The disease loss estimates in this publication were provided by University Extension cotton pathologists. This information is only a guide. The values in this publication are not intended to be exact values of cotton yield losses due to diseases. Participants used what they considered the best means available to estimate disease losses and assume no liability resulting from estimate. 

Values reported in this document were accurate as of publication date and do not reflect corrections or updates occurring since that time. For the most up-to-date values and additional information on yield and economic losses due to diseases, see the Field Crop Disease and Insect Loss Calculator.

 Acknowledgements

Authors

Travis Faske, University of Arkansas and Adam Sisson, Iowa State University.

Contributors

Kathy Lawrence and Amanda Strayer-Scherer, Auburn University; Alex Hu, University of Arizona; Travis Faske, University of Arkansas; Robert Hutmacher, University of California; Zane Grabau and Ian Small, University of Florida; Bob Kemerait, University of Georgia; Rodrigo Onofre, Kansas State University; Trey Price and Tristan Watson, Louisiana State University; Tom Allen, Mississippi State University; Chase Floyd and Bradley Wilson, University of Missouri; John Omololu Idowu, New Mexico State University; Daisy Ahumada and Adrienne Gorny, North Carolina State University; Maira Duffeck and Maxwell Smith, Oklahoma State University; John Mueller, Clemson University; Heather Kelly, University of Tennessee; Tom Isakeit and Terry Wheeler, Texas A&M University; and David Langston, University of Virginia.

Reviewers

Daren Mueller, Iowa State University and Kiersten Wise, University of Kentucky.

Production data from the United States Department of Agriculture-National Agriculture Statistics Service. Climate information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Center for Environmental Information.

United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. Quick Stats Database.

Sponsors

This project was supported by United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Cotton, Inc.