3. INTRODUCTION:-
o Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber
that grows in a boll, or protective
capsule, around the seeds of cotton
plants of the genus Gossypium.
o The fiber is almost pure cellulose. Under
natural conditions, the cotton bolls will
tend to increase the dispersion of the
seeds.
4. USES OF COTTON
Cotton fibers are used in:-
Cloth , tyre fabrics , various forms of
threads etc.
Mercerized cotton is obtained by treating
cotton fibers with caustic soda.
Absorbant cotton is produced after
removing the chitin layer of the fibers.
It is used in hospitals , rayon industry ,
explosive factories etc.
Cotton is used extensively for stuffing.
5. CHARACTERISTICS OF COTTON FIBERS
Cotton fibers are epidermal hairs present on the seed coat.
The mature cotton fiber is translucent with collapsed hollow
tube.
The primary wall of the cotton fiber is thin , elastic and coated
with chitin.
The secondary thickenings are in the form of concentric rings.
The raw cotton contains 94% cellulose , 3% proteins , 0.9% pectin
, 0.6 % wax< 0.3% sugars and 1-2% ash.
Fibers are classified on the basis of their length as long ,
intermediate and short fibers.
Cotton seed is rich in Vitamin B complex and proteins.
Cotton oil is used in culinary.
The oil cake is an fertilizer and cattle feed.
6. Origin and distribution:-
India is considered as home of arboreum
cotton.
Herbaceums might have originated from
Arabia
In India all the four species of cotton are
grown with highest are under hirsutum(36%)
followed by Arboretum (17%) and herbaceum
(10%)
7. Area and Productivity :-
Hybrids cotton accounts for
about(36%) of the total area under
cotton.
Globally ,cotton is cultivated in an
area of 91.66 lakh hectares .
Producing around 2,977 thousands
tones with an average productivity
of 328lint/ha .
8. The five leading exporters of cotton in 2011 are
The United States,
India
Brazil
Australia
Uzbekistan
In India,
Maharashtra(26.63%)
Gujarat (17.96%)
Andhra Pradesh (13.75%)
9. Growth and development stages:-
Emergence:-
15 days after sowing,opt.temp- 14-42 degree C.
Root, stem and leaves:-
Root depth-150-300 cm,monopodial stem.
Flowering and fruit development:-
4-8 days after seedling emergernce, 17-25 days for flower bud to
flower.
Bud and boll shedding:-
It is increased by moisture deficiency or excess, inadequate
nutrient supply, excessive heat or cold and damage due to pests
and diseases.
13. PREPARATION OF THE FIELD:-
Prepare the field to get a fine tilth.
Chiselling for soils with hard pan:
Chisel the soils having hard pan formation
at shallow depths with chisel plough at
0.5 M interval,
first in one direction and then in the
direction perpendicular to the previous
one, once in three years.
Apply 12.5 t farm yard manure or
composted coir pith/ha besides chiselling
to get increased yield
14. Cultivaton :-
SEED RATE AND SPACING:-
Kharif cotton:- April-May – N. India
July-August – S. India
Desi cotton :- mid may- 1st fortnight of
june
16. SOWING:-
Dibble the seeds at a depth of 3-5 cm
on the side of the ridge 2/3 height
from the top and above the band
where fertilizers and insecticides are
applied, maintaining the correct
spacing and then cover seeds with
soil.
In the case of intercropping, sow the
seeds of the intercrop in between the
paired rows of cotton in a row of 5 cm
apart and cover the seeds.
Sow the required number of seeds in
each hole
17. Nutrient management:-
Spread 12.5 t of FYM or compost or 2.5 t of vermicompost per ha if available,
uniformly on the unploughed soil.
Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendations.
QUANTITY
(KG/HA)
N P K
Desi cultivar 60 30 30
American cotton 80 40 40
Hybrids 120 60 60
18. WEED MANAGEMENT:-
Apply Pendimethalin @ 3.3 l/ha three days after
sowing, using a hand operated sprayer fitted with
deflecting or fan type nozzle.
Sufficient moisture should be present in the soil
at the time of herbicide application. This will
ensure weed free condition upto 40 days.
One hand weeding on 45 DAS will keep weed free
environment upto 60 DAS.
Hoe and hand weed between 18th to 20th day of
sowing, if herbicide is not applied at the time of
sowing
Interculture Operations:-
One hand weeding on 45 DAS will keep weed free
environment upto 60 DAS
19. Gap Filling:-
Take up gap filling on the 10th day of sowing.
Raise seedlings in polythene bags of size 15 x 10 cm.
Fill the polythene bags with a mixture of FYM and soil in the ratio of 1:3.
Dibble one seed per bag on the same day when sowing is taken up in the field.
Pot water and maintain.
On the 10th day of sowing, plant seedlings maintained in the polythene bags, one in
each of the gaps in the field by cutting open the polythene bag and planting the
seedling along with the soil intact and then pot water.
• Thin out the seedlings on the 15th day of sowing. In the case of fertile soils, allow
only one seedling per hole, whereas in poor soil allow two seedlings per hole
Thinning:-
20. Top dressing:-
Top dress 50% of the recommended
dose of N and K on 40 – 45 DAS for
varieties.
Top dress 1/3rd of recommended dose
of N on 40-45 DAS and the remaining
1/3rd on 60-65th DAS for hybrids
RECTIFICATION OF RIDGES AND
FURROWS :-
Reform the ridges and furrows after
first top dressing in such a way that
the plants are on the top of the ridges
and well supported by soil.
21. If Intercropping in of Greengram/Soybean is proposed, prepare the main
field, so as to provide ridges and furrows to take up sowing 20 days prior to
cotton sowing.
COTTON + SOYABEAN COTTON + BLACKGRAM COTTON + GREENGRAM
Intercropping:-
22. Straight Furrow: This is a surface irrigation
method provided in between two furrows.
Furrows are developed between cotton crop
rows during planting and interculture.
Water is applied by running small streams in
furrows between crop rows.
Water infiltrates into the soil and spreads
laterally to irrigate the area between the
furrows.
Alternate furrow irrigation:-
During any one run of irrigation a particular set
of alternate furrows is irrigated.
The interval of irrigation should be shortened
when compared to the conventional furrows.
During the next run, the left over furrows be
irrigated.
Suited to heavy soils like clay and loam.
WATER MANAGEMENT:-
23. Drip Irrigation :-
Application of drip or micro irrigation results in saving
water and enhances the water use efficiency of cotton to a
great extent.
Regulated and slow application of irrigation water through
emitters/orifices enables the water to reach the root zone
of plants at frequent intervals.
Drip irrigation has been found to enhance the yield of
cotton by 27%
Paired Row Technique:-
Paired row technique is an extension of alternate
irrigation.
It is a method in which additional crop rows are added on
both sides of the furrow
The paired row system of planting cotton crop can save
around 30 % of irrigation water with no reduction in the
yield.
24. ORGANIC PRODUCTION STATUS:-
Its production also promotes and
enhances biodiversity and biological
cycles. United States cotton plantations
are required to enforce the National
Organic Program (NOP).
This institution determines the allowed
practices for pest control, growing,
fertilizing, and handling of organic crops.
As of 2007, 265,517 bales of organic
cotton were produced in 24 countries,
and worldwide production was growing
at a rate of more than 50% per year.
25. HARVESTING:-
Harvest at frequent intervals, at less than
7 days interval.
Harvest in the morning hours upto 10 to 11
a.m only when there is moisture so that
dry leaves and bracts do not stick to the
kapas and lower the market value.
Pick kapas from well burst bolls only.
Remove only the kapas from the bolls and
leave the bracts on the plants.
After kapas is picked, sort out good puffy
ones and keep separately.
Keep stained, discoloured and insect
attacked kapas separately.
26. YIELD:-
the expected yield of ginned cotton is 0,66 to 1,33
tons (1455 to 2932 lbs.) per hectare or 589 to 1187
lbs. per acre.
27. Diseses:-
1.Root rot :-
Causal organism - Rhizoctonia bataticola
SYMPTOMS:-
The disease appear in patches.
The plant wilt within a day
Roots and bark of the affected roots shred.
Control:-
Dreching of soil with 0.2 % carbendazim.
28. Fusarium wilt :-
Causal organism - Fusarium moniliform f. vasifectum
Symptoms:-
Stunting followed by yellowing, wilting, and dropping of
leaves.
lower leaves towards the base are affected first followed by
younger.
Leaf discoloration around the edges.
Control:-
Soaking the seed in 8 l in 8g of bavistin.
29. Anthracnose:-
Causal organism – colletotrichum spp
Symptoms:-
The disease chiefly attacks the seedling, bracts and bolls.
The seedling have reddish brown lesions
Water soaked spot which enlarges and may spread to the bolls.
Control:-
Spraying the seedling with blitox 2 kg per ha.
30. Ball Rot:-
Caused by bacteria and cause considerable damage by
directly reducing the yield of seed cotton and quality of
fibre.
control:-
Spraying with copper oxychloride at the rate of 2 kg per ha.
31. Insect and pest :-
a)Pink boll worm :- It is a notorious pest of cotton
growing areas.lt affect the cotton yield in several
ways.
a)Flower damage: Flower buds are bored by this pest,
they drop off prematurely. Caterpillars boring into the
flower gives flower a rosette appearance.
b)Damage to lint: caterpillar enters into the boll, it
cuts the developing lint to a seed.
c)Damage to seed: Seed kernel is the preffered food
for kernel it eats the internal contents of seed and
reduce yield.
32. Control:-
Heating the seeds in 60 c kiils the hibernating larvae.
Grow in resistant varities like H-77,HS-45,DS-5.
b)Cotton leaf Roller:_
Caterpillar of this pest rolls a leaf around itself and
lives inside it,eating away the green matter of the
leaf. The full grown caterpillar is about 5-6 cm in
length and pupate inside it.
Control:-
Remove rolled leaves
Spray endosulfan 3 % @ 1 l of water
33. Post harvest operations:-
immediately after picking, dry the kapas in
shade.
If it is not dried immediately the colour will
change which will lower the market value.
Do not dry the kapas under direct sun as the
fibre strength and luster will be lost.
Grade the kapas into good and second
quality ones, if it is not sorted out at the
time of picking.
Spread a thin layer of dry sand on the ground
and keep the kapas over it.
34. PROCESSING OF COTTON
Ginning
Bailing
Picking
Carding
Combing
Drawing
GINNING
In this process capsule walls .soil etc are removed from
the cotton ball in a machine called Gin.
BAILING
In this process the cotton obtained from the gin is packed
into bales by a hydraulic machine. Each bail weights
about 500 lb. Bails are transported to the cotton mills.
35. PICKING
In the mill cotton is beaten so that they are free from foreign matters. This cotton is
now called as sheet or lap cotton.
CARDING
In this process the remaining lumps are further separated so that immature fibers and
impurities are removed.
COMBING AND DRAWING
In combing short fibers are separated while long fibers are straightened.Cotton thus
obtained is in the form of soft thin sheet and ready for spinning.
36. REFRENCES:-
Walia U S, Walia S S, Kler D S and Singh Dilip 2011. Science of Agronomy. Scientific
Publishers Jodhpur. pg 413-426.
Singh chidda, Singh prem, singh ranbir 2009. Modern techniques of raising field crops.
Oxford and IBH publishers.pg 389-406.
http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/agriculture/agri_cropproduction_fibre_irrigatedcotton.html
http://awsassets.wwfindia.org/downloads/better_management_practices_for_cotton_culti
vation.pdf
www.organiccotton.org/oc/Organic-cotton/Agronomic-practice/Post-harvest-quality.php
https://www.apnikheti.com/en/pn/agriculture/crops/fibre-crops/cotton
