May 13 (Bloomberg) -- Cotton futures rose from a four-month low on bets that floods along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers may slash production in the U.S., the world's leading exporter.

The rivers, swollen by heavy rain and melted snow, have been inundating cities and towns for weeks, flooding cropland and disrupting shipping. The rising Mississippi is now threatening farms between Memphis, Tennessee, and the Gulf of Mexico. Before today, the price slumped 34 percent since reaching a record on March 2 on concern that demand will slow in China, the biggest importer.'

"There are still a lot of concerns for weather and a lot of concerns for supply this year," said Louis Barbera, a broker at VIP Commodities in New York. "It shows how strong the market really is, even with the recent downturn."

Cotton futures for July delivery rose 0.85 cent, or 0.6 percent, to settle at $1.4515 at 2:30 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. Earlier, the price touched $1.4206, the lowest for a most-active contract since Jan. 14.

Dry weather in Texas, the biggest U.S. grower, may crimp output, U.S. government data showed this week.

Planting in Texas was estimated at 6.12 million acres this year, followed by Georgia at 1.45 million, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed. Mississippi was fifth at 530,000 acres, followed by Tennessee at 470,000. Missouri was ninth at 360,000.