Raingrown cotton requires a considerable financial outlay hence many farmers seek to reduce their exposure or to 'hedge their bets' by planting in skip row configurations. Skip row provides a reserve of soil moisture beside the planted rows and use of these 'side' reserves extends, by a number of days, the period that a crop can continue to photosynthesise at a certain level compared to a solid planted crop. If effective rain occurs during this extension of time, it can translate to a yield increase and possible quality improvement. A deep profile of stored moisture works in exactly the same fashion, but this deep reserve is smaller than the skip reserve - combine the two, however, and the odds for a successful crop in a dry season are markedly improved. Figure 1 shows that the extra stored moisture at planting bas a big influence on final yield, especially in a dry year. Figure 2 shows how a skip row configuration extends the time period that higher levels of soil moisture are available to the crop. The plant is able to draw moisture from a distance of at least 2 metres from the plant line, drying the soil to the same degree as immediately below the row.