Abstract
Background Dry matter accumulation and distribution constitute the essential material basis for crop yield formation, directly impacting both yield and quality development. Nonetheless, the effects of planting density on dry matter accumulation, distribution, and nutrient uptake in cotton across various row spacing configurations remain ambiguous. Methods This study conducted a two-year field experiment utilizing the cotton cultivar “Tahe 2”. In 2024, a single-factor trial was adopted with three row spacing treatments: same row spacing (S3), wide-ultra-narrow row spacing (S4), and wide-narrow row planting (S6). In 2025, a two-factor split-plot design was used: main plots were the three row spacing patterns (S3, S4, S6), and subplots were three planting densities: 135 000 plants ha -1 (D1), 180 000 plants ha -1 (D2), 225 000 plants ha - ¹ (D3). We investigated leaf area index (LAI), dry matter accumulation and distribution, nutrient content, and yield. Results In 2024, S6 showed the highest leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter accumulation ( p < 0.05). In 2025, LAI and dry matter accumulation increased significantly with increasing plant density ( p < 0.05). The dry matter partitioning ratio to reproductive organs increased with growth. Row spacing and planting density significantly affected leaf nutrient contents; upper-leaf nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) first increased then decreased, while middle- and lower-leaf N and leaf phosphorus (P) at all positions declined gradually. Boll number per plant decreased with increasing density, whereas yield was significantly affected by their interaction ( p < 0.05). The highest yield was found in S6 in 2024 and S6D2 in 2025. Two-year experiments indicated that S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha - ¹ optimized population structure, improved resource use efficiency, and increased cotton yield. Conclusion Among the three row spacing configurations tested, the medium planting density of 180,000 plants ha -1 under the wide-narrow row planting pattern (S6) optimized the leaf area index, enhanced population dry matter accumulation, and improved distribution to reproductive organs, thereby maximizing seed cotton yield, which reached up to 6420.47 kg·ha -1 .
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
LAI and dry matter accumulation increased significantly with increasing plant density in 2025.
- Taxon
- cotton
Gossypium hirsutumt0 - Treatment
- increasing plant densitye1
- Outcome
- LAI and dry matter accumulatione1
- Direction
- increasede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e1“LAI and dry matter accumulation increased significantly with increasing plant density”
Claim · model-written summary
S6 showed the highest leaf area index and dry matter accumulation in 2024.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- S6e2
- Outcome
- leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter accumulatione2
- Direction
- higheste2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e2“S6 showed the highest leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter accumulation”
Claim · model-written summary
Row spacing and planting density significantly affected leaf nutrient contents.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- Row spacing and planting densitye3
- Outcome
- leaf nutrient contentse3
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e3“Row spacing and planting density significantly affected leaf nutrient contents”
Claim · model-written summary
Upper-leaf N and K first increased and then decreased.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Organ / stage
- upper-leafe4
- Outcome
- upper-leaf nitrogen (N) and potassium (K)e4
- Direction
- first increased then decreasede4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e4“upper-leaf nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) first increased then decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
Middle- and lower-leaf N and leaf P at all positions declined gradually.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Organ / stage
- middle- and lower-leafe5
- Outcome
- N and leaf phosphorus (P) at all positionse5
- Direction
- declined graduallye5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e5“middle- and lower-leaf N and leaf phosphorus (P) at all positions declined gradually”
Claim · model-written summary
Boll number per plant decreased with increasing planting density.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- increasing densitye6
- Outcome
- Boll number per plante6
- Direction
- decreasede6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e6“Boll number per plant decreased with increasing density”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield was significantly affected by the interaction of row spacing and planting density.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- their interactione7
- Outcome
- yielde7
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e7“whereas yield was significantly affected by their interaction”
Claim · model-written summary
The highest yield was found in S6 in 2024 and S6D2 in 2025.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- S6e1
- Outcome
- yielde1
- Direction
- higheste1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e1“The highest yield was found in S6 in 2024 and S6D2 in 2025”
Claim · model-written summary
S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha-1 increased cotton yield.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha - ¹e1
- Outcome
- cotton yielde1
- Direction
- increasede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e1“S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha - ¹ optimized population structure, improved resource use efficiency, and increased cotton yield”
Claim · model-written summary
S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha-1 improved resource use efficiency.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha - ¹e1
- Outcome
- resource use efficiencye1
- Direction
- improvede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e1“S6 combined with 180,000 plants ha - ¹ optimized population structure, improved resource use efficiency, and increased cotton yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The medium density of 180,000 plants ha-1 under S6 maximized seed cotton yield, reaching up to 6420.47 kg·ha-1.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- medium planting density of 180,000 plants ha -1 under the wide-narrow row planting pattern (S6)e2
- Outcome
- seed cotton yielde1
- Direction
- maximizinge1
- Value
- 6420.47 kg·ha -1e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e1“thereby maximizing seed cotton yield, which reached up to 6420.47 kg·ha -1”
e2“the medium planting density of 180,000 plants ha -1 under the wide-narrow row planting pattern (S6)”
Claim · model-written summary
The dry matter partitioning ratio to reproductive organs increased with growth.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Organ / stage
- reproductive organse1
- Outcome
- dry matter partitioning ratio to reproductive organse1
- Direction
- increased with growthe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“cotton”
e1“The dry matter partitioning ratio to reproductive organs increased with growth”
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See all 15 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.