Maleic hydrazide (MH) was applied weekly to the apical buds and leaves of cotton plants during the first 4 weeks of flowering and the effects on (a) vegetative and reproductive characters, (b) yield and fiber properties, and (c) seed viability were studied. 2. MH reduced (a) growth in height, (b) number of nodes on main stem, (c) length of vegetative branches, and (d) number of fruiting branches. Its use increased (a) the number of vegetative branches, (b) length of the fruiting branches, and (c) the number of flowers during late flowering. The number of flowers formed in the early period of flowering was not affected. Most of these changes were statistically significant compared with the untreated plants. 3. During the period of early flowering the treated plants set fewer and smaller bolls and consequently yielded less seed cotton than the untreated ones. In the late period of flowering the treated plants set more but smaller bolls, and the yield was greater than that of the untreated plants. However, there was no significant effect of MH on either the combined yields from the two fruiting periods or the properties of the fiber. 4. MH injured the seeds that were formed during early (MH applied) but not late (no MH applied) fruiting activity. Injury consisted of reduced germination, as much as 86%, and malformed seedlings.
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Ergle et al. (1952) studied this question.