Cotton Production In Agriculture

Botanical Name:  Gossypium Spp.

VARIETIES 

i.       Allah jac

ii.       Ishan  

Gossypium hirum

Gossypium perurianium

Soil requirement: Cotton requires rich, deep loamy or clay soil but avoid planting cotton on virgin land because it results to more vegetative growth and less seed formation.

 

Rainfall:  150cm well distributed over 4 to 5 months

 

Temperature:  25⁰c – 30⁰c especially during maturity and drying period.

 

Land preparation:  Deep ploughing about 20cm deep for sole cropping. 

 

Planting date: Between June and July in the North

 

Seed rate: 15kg - 20kg per hectare 2 to 3 per hole but you can later thin to one.

 

Planting techniques:  Plant 4 to 6 seeds per hole at 2.5cm depth and later thin to 2 seedlings per stand.

 

POST PLANNING OPERATION

1.   Weeding: Weeding is carried out 3 to 4 times before maturity but the first weeding must be done along with thinning and it must be done before fertilizer application.

2.  

 Fertilizer application: Apply sulphate to ammonia (NH₄S0₄) immediately after thinning or apply 125kg of super phosphate per hectare during planting.

3.   

 Mulching: There is need for mulching to prevent excessive water and erosion

4.    

Maturity: Cotton mature between 5 – 6 months after planting

5.   

 Harvesting: Harvesting of cotton is done by hand picking of matured fruits between November and January and it is better harvested in the afternoon when it is dry.

COTTON CLOSE SEASON

          This is a period when cotton should no more remain on the field or soil usually mid. March and mid- June.

Yield:  500kg to 1500kg per hectare in developed world/ country and 500kg per hectare in the north

Local farming 70-150kg per hectare

Processing

Ginning: This is the removal of lints from seeds. Ginning has percentage which is  WEIGHT OF LINTS X 100

Weight of cotton seed

After grading of cotton. It is packed into unit called bales

A bale of lint is 180kg

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF COTTON (USES)

1.   It is used to manufacture textile

2.   It is a good source of planting material or it is used for planting.

3.   Oil can be extracted from cotton seed

4.   Lint is used in making pillow

5.   Cotton has medicinal uses

DISEASES AND PESTS

1.   Bacterial blights or black arm/angular spot

2.   Causative organism: bacteria

The disease only affects the vegetative part of cotton

MODE OF TRANSMISSION

It is an air-borne disease that enter into the plant through their stomata

SYMPTOMS

1.   Irregular sports on leaves and branches which can cause the death of the plant

2.   Discolouration of lints

CONTROL

1.   Treat seeds with chemical before planting

2.   Observe cotton close season

3.   Practice crop rotation