Cotton is grown from sea level to moderate elevations not exceeding 1000 m where the climate is tropical with rainfall 500 to 750 mm. Excessive rain at any stage is harmful to the crop. It can be grown in a wide variety of soils. A deep homogeneous fertile soil is desirable.
Seasons
Winter crop : August _ September
Summer crop : February _ March
Preparation of land and sowing
Plough the land three to four times and form ridges and furrows. Dibble the seeds on the sides of the furrows. Use basalin at the rate of 2.5 l ha-1 before irrigating the field to control the weeds.
Note: Treat the seeds with carbendazim 50 WP (2 g kg-1) or Trichoderma viride talc preparation (4 g kg-1) before sowing.
Manuring
Apply FYM or compost @ 12.5 t
ha-1 for rainfed crop and 25 t
ha-1 for irrigated crop. Apply
N:P2O5:K2O each @ 35 kg
ha-1 as basal dressing. Top dress with 35 kg N
per ha-1 about 45 days after sowing.
Aftercultivation
Thin the crop when the plants are 15
to 20 cm high, retaining two seedlings per hill.
Retain only one seedling per hill in the
case of hybrids. Timely weeding and hoeing will ensure good crop growth.
Irrigation
In the case of irrigated crop, irrigate
the plants once in two weeks. Copious
irrigation during flowering will ensure
good pod setting and good fibre quality. Plant Protection
Against sucking pests like jassids, aphids and thrips, spray imidacloprid (100 ml ha-1) on
20th day and 40th day.
To control whitefly, use neem oil (3.0
l/ha-1) or phosalone (1000ml
ha-1).
For bollworm, spray quinalphos or chlorpyriphos.
For bacterial blight disease, use
strepto-cycline (50 g ha-1 + copper oxychloride 1.5 kg ha-1). For grey mildew, carbendazim @ 250 g ha-1 may be used. For
Alternaria leaf spot, use copper oxychloride @ 1.5 kg
ha-1.
Harvesting
The bolls start bursting 100-120 days
after sowing and will be ready for harvest
at this stage.