It is necessary to research multiple stresses on cotton as plants are generally exposed to many stresses in the field, and interactions between them are largely unpredictable. We studied the effects of spider mite damage and water stress on cotton and determined whether cotton plants could compensate for these stresses. Dryland cotton was more resilient to mite stress than irrigated cotton. Neither dryland nor irrigated plants compensated for mite damage, except under severe mite stress when lower undamaged leaves were able to increase photosynthesis relative to uninfested / healthy plants due to faster senescence in upper leaves and consequent increased light levels.