Ginning begins in Georgia. Boll-rot not as bad as expected in the Delta. Harvesting slowly gained momentum in the Texas Blacklands. Open bolls reported in 75% of the fields in the Plains. Early quality termed typical at Yuma. Limited defoliation began in the San Joaquin Valley.

Cotton futures settled on strong gains Monday, with benchmark December finishing on a six-session high close.

December closed up 122 points to 68.50 cents, in the upper third of its 182-point range from up 172 points at 69 cents to down 10 points at 67.18 cents. It hit the high in overnight trading, fell to the low in the morning session, and rose to close above the prior four intraday highs.

October gained 124 points to 68.98 cents, March advanced 111 points to 68.72 cents and December 2017 added 98 points to 68.95 cents.

Weakness in the U.S. dollar index ahead of this weekΆs meetings of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan offered support after cotton futures posted sharp gains overnight as cotton prices jumped in China. U.S. equities had pared earlier sharp gains when cotton futures closed.

Volume increased to an estimated 19,169 lots from 8,850 lots — a new low for the year — on Friday when spreads accounted for 2,968 lots or 34%, EFP 305 lots and EFS seven lots. Options volume totaled 3,969 calls and 3,879 puts.

Defoliation and harvesting were getting underway in dryland fields in South Georgia as producers took advantage of sunny weather to harvest more mature fields during the week ended Thursday, USDAΆs Agricultural Marketing Service reported in a weekly cotton review Friday.

Application of defoliants expanded in the earliest fields of Alabama. Along the Atlantic coast, heavier rainfall of 3 to 4 inches accumulated from South Georgia to the Carolinas and Virginia. Inland areas reported smaller accumulations.

In areas along that region that have received significant rain and experienced standing water in recent weeks, boll-rot and hard-locked bolls on the bottoms of plants were a concern. Producers considered defoliation strategies in the Carolinas and Virginia as fields approached cutout.

Modules accumulated on gin yards and ginning was underway in Georgia. Producers reported initial yields of 250 to 500 pounds per acre on dryland fields and 900 to 1,400 pounds in irrigated cotton.

Producers in the Delta reported that boll-rot, though higher than normal in certain areas, wasnΆt as detrimental as first expected. Sources reported losses of 50 to 100 pounds per acre in some areas. Actual yield reductions wonΆt be known until harvesting is in full swing.

Defoliation was widespread throughout the Delta. Harvesting began on a limited scale in the North Delta. Several gins began processing cotton in Arkansas, while gins in Missouri may start until October. Some gins are waiting for power rates to decrease at the end of September.

A continued pattern of dry weather is needed for harvesting to gain momentum in the South Delta. Yields of 900 to 1,000 pounds were reported in some of the first-harvested fields. Ginning began in Louisiana.

Harvesting and ginning gradually gained momentum in the Texas Blackland Prairies. Some showers slowed harvesting. Modules had begun to accumulate on yards. A minimal unharvested acreage awaited custom harvesters in the Rio Grande Valley.

Rainfall across the West Texas Plains ranged to localized amounts of around 4 inches. Thunderstorms were spotty, but rain fell daily somewhere in the area. Around 75% of the fields had open bolls, sources said. Hail hit some fields. Regrowth was evident in certain areas. Boll openers and defoliants had been applied on some mature fields, but intermittent, rainy conditions delayed applications in others.

Harvesting and ginning continued around Yuma, Ariz. Early quality results were typical. Defoliation gained momentum in Central Arizona. Cotton at Safford continued to make good progress and was several weeks from defoliation.

Limited defoliation began in the San Joaquin Valley. Ginning was expected to begin around Oct. 10.

Futures open interest dipped 26 lots Friday to 231,593, with DecemberΆs down 327 lots to 152,534 and MarchΆs up 120 lots to 49,084. Cert stocks grew 90 bales to 34,678. There were 540 bales awaiting review at Dallas-Fort Worth.