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Agronomy
Volume 15
Issue 9
10.3390/agronomy15092099
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Sink Strength Governs Yield Ceiling in High-Yield Cotton:Compensation Effects of Source–Sink Damage and Reproductive Stage Regulation

by
Zhenwang Zhang
1,
Kexin Li
1,
Qinghua Liao
1,
Zhijie Shi
1,
Keke Yu
2,*,
Junqi Zhu
3,
Xiyu Jia
1,
Guodong Chen
4,
Sumei Wan
4,
Shanwei Lou
5,
Mingfeng Yang
3,
Fangjun Li
1,
Xiaoli Tian
1,
Zhaohu Li
1 and
Mingwei Du
1,4,5,*
1
Engineering Research Center of Plant Growth Regulator, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
2
Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tobacco Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
3
Wulanwusu Agrometeorological Experiment Station, Wulanwusu Ecology and Agrometeorology Observation and Research Station of Xinjiang, Wulanwusu Special Test Field base of National Integrated Meteorological Observation, Shawan 832199, China
4
Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement and Efficient Production for Specialty Crops in Arid Southern Xinjiang of Xinjiang Corps, College of Agriculture, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China
5
Cotton Research Institute of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences, National Cotton Engineering Technology Research Center, Urumqi 830091, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(9), 2099; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092099 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 July 2025 / Revised: 24 August 2025 / Accepted: 27 August 2025 / Published: 30 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crop Productivity and Management in Agricultural Systems)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Under refined management, high-yield cotton fields are approaching their maximum output. However, how to break this yield upper limit, specifically the source–sink relationship is still inadequately researched. This experiment was conducted to explore the interaction mechanism between yield formation and source–sink parameters (photosynthesis, nitrogen content, canopy structure and dry matter accumulation and distribution). The treatments consisted of a no cutting source and sink treatment (CK), cutting 1/2 leaves per plant (1/2L) and cutting 1/2 bolls per plant (1/2B) at the initial flowering stage (IFS), the flower and boll stage (FABS), and the full boll stage (FBS). The results showed that 1/2L treatment minimized yield losses to 2.3–5.9% by enhancing photosynthetic compensation, with FBS-1/2L showing the smallest reduction (2.3–2.9%) due to higher leaf N content and SPAD values, whereas, the 1/2B treatments resulted in significant yield losses attributable to fewer bolls, especially the FBS-1/2B treatments, which reduced yields by 35.7–41.9%, with a compensatory rate of only 8.1–14.3%. It is noteworthy that the compensation rates of IFS-1/2B and FABS-1/2B could reach 26.7–32.3% and 18.7–23.8% of their yields due to the higher leaf N content. In a word, the source damage can be buffered by physiological compensation, while the sink loss leads to yield collapse due to the irreversibility of reproductive development. Thus, the core regulator of high-yield cotton fields was sink strength. Accordingly, optimizing the sink quality was performed through moderate boll thinning at the IFS, enhancing water and fertilizer supply at the FABS and strengthening sink organ protection at the FBS in order to realize a breakthrough in yield limit.
Keywords: cotton; yield; source–sink parameters; physiological compensation; irreversibility of reproductive development cotton; yield; source–sink parameters; physiological compensation; irreversibility of reproductive development

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Z.; Li, K.; Liao, Q.; Shi, Z.; Yu, K.; Zhu, J.; Jia, X.; Chen, G.; Wan, S.; Lou, S.; et al. Sink Strength Governs Yield Ceiling in High-Yield Cotton:Compensation Effects of Source–Sink Damage and Reproductive Stage Regulation. Agronomy 2025, 15, 2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092099

AMA Style

Zhang Z, Li K, Liao Q, Shi Z, Yu K, Zhu J, Jia X, Chen G, Wan S, Lou S, et al. Sink Strength Governs Yield Ceiling in High-Yield Cotton:Compensation Effects of Source–Sink Damage and Reproductive Stage Regulation. Agronomy. 2025; 15(9):2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092099

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Zhenwang, Kexin Li, Qinghua Liao, Zhijie Shi, Keke Yu, Junqi Zhu, Xiyu Jia, Guodong Chen, Sumei Wan, Shanwei Lou, and et al. 2025. "Sink Strength Governs Yield Ceiling in High-Yield Cotton:Compensation Effects of Source–Sink Damage and Reproductive Stage Regulation" Agronomy 15, no. 9: 2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092099

APA Style

Zhang, Z., Li, K., Liao, Q., Shi, Z., Yu, K., Zhu, J., Jia, X., Chen, G., Wan, S., Lou, S., Yang, M., Li, F., Tian, X., Li, Z., & Du, M. (2025). Sink Strength Governs Yield Ceiling in High-Yield Cotton:Compensation Effects of Source–Sink Damage and Reproductive Stage Regulation. Agronomy, 15(9), 2099. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092099

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