Cotton

INTRODUCTION-

• Cotton is the most important fiber and a cash crop for India and plays an important role in the agricultural and industrial economy.

• It is used as a basic raw material in cotton textile industry and provides around 6 million farmers, a direct livelihood and 40-50 million people work in the cotton trade.

• Cotton farming uses a lot of pesticides; data reveals that about 44.5% of the total pesticides are used in the Cotton cultivation.

• Cotton is a water thirsty crop and almost 6% of the water for irrigation is used for cotton cultivation in India.

LOCATION-

In India, the major cotton growing states are:

CENTRAL ZONE-

• Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Northern Zone, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh

SOUTHERN ZONE-

• Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

Maharashtra has the largest area under Cotton cultivation followed by Gujarat.

TYPES OF COTTON-

1. Long Staple Cotton- It has the longest fiber with length of 24-27 mm. It is used for making fine and super quality cloth.

2. Medium Staple Cotton- Its fiber length is 20mm-24mm. Around 40% of the cotton production is of the medium staple.

3. Short Staple Cotton- Inferior cotton with fiber less than 20mm long. It is used for manufacturing inferior cloth and takes less price.

 CLIMATE AND SOIL REQUIREMENTS-

• 70% of the cotton relies on rainfall. During boll formation proper sunshine and moisture is required.

• 60-120 days of moisture stress reduces the yield. Humid climate and more sunshine is favored for the growth of the cotton crop.

• TEMPERATURE- The temperature required for the ideal cotton cultivation is 25°c.

• RAINFALL- 150-200cm rainfall is required for cotton farming. Moisture in the wind is important.

• SOIL- Cotton grows on medium black to deep black soil. The pH range should be between 6-8. Saline soils are not used for cotton cultivation. The required depth of the soil needed is 20-25 cm and the soil must have a proper drainage system.

Land Preparation-

A preparation of good flatbed is required in Cotton Production. This process is done by plowing and disc harrowing. Soil should be well prepared for the advance method of drip irrigation. 4-5 tons of well decomposed FYM is added or before the last harrowing compost is needed.

Varieties of Cotton-

Seed Selection for Planting Cotton

• Delinted seed is preferred.

• 5-3kg seed per hectare should be used.

• Seed should be treated with Thiram and Bavistin.

• 7-8 thousand per hectare is optimum for plantation in cotton farming.

Plant Spacing

• Spacing in pair row planting can be 2.5’×5’×5’or 3’×4’×3’.

• In Single row system the spacing of 4’×3’ (Heavy Soil) and 3’×3’ (Medium Soil) is adopted.

Season for Cotton-

• Cotton should be planted before monsoon comes so that the desired amount of vegetative growth is achieved. Planting season varies in different regions.

Irrigation-

• Cotton requires four to six irrigations depending upon the seasonal rainfall. The first irrigation should be given 4 to 6 weeks after sowing and the subsequent ones at interval of two or three weeks. The crop must not be allowed to suffer for want of water during the flowering and fruiting stages To hasten boll opening give the last irrigation by the end of September.

Harvesting and Yield of Cotton -

• Cotton can be both picked by hands or by machines. Manual picking process is little slower but it better preserves fiber attributes of cotton.
• The first action on the fiber which pushes fibers from the place where they were implanted for weeks before getting exposed to the outside conditions is Ball opening.
• Ball opening action has no effect on the fiber quality.
• In Handpicking process, Open balls can be picked at frequent intervals and weather effects can be minimized after the balls have opened.
• Commonly in bigger plots the quality of fiber is preserved by 3-4 pickings per season in many countries where cotton is handpicked.
• Cotton yield relies on the management practices and adoption of advanced technologies and under drip irrigation the cotton crop gives 50-60 quintal per hectare yield of kapas.