How to Prevent Leggy Cotton Seedlings? Practical Methods Explained
Cotton is grown in all parts of our country, and its cultivation history in our country is very long. However, when we grow cotton, if management is improper, some problems will often occur. Leggy seedlings are one of them, and leggy cotton seedlings can seriously affect the yield and quality of cotton. So how should we prevent leggy cotton seedlings? Below, the editor will give you a brief introduction. Let's take a look together!
1. Timely chemical control
When we grow cotton, generally about two rounds of chemical control are needed during the cotton seedling stage. The first should be carried out at the cotyledon stage, mainly to thicken the roots and avoid the phenomenon of uneven seedling sizes in cotton. After the cotton seedlings emerge uniformly, mepiquat chloride can be sprayed appropriately once to promote the growth of cotton seedlings. Then, when the cotton seedlings grow two true leaves, carry out the second round of chemical control. At this time, cotton is very sensitive to mepiquat chloride, so the dosage should be appropriately reduced. At this time, chemical control is mainly to promote cotton flower bud differentiation and advance the time of squaring.
2. Appropriate intertillage
If we want to prevent the phenomenon of leggy cotton seedlings, then we must also do a good job of intertillage. Through intertillage, we can make the soil tillage layer looser. This creates a suitable growth environment for the growth of cotton plants. Control temperature, light, moisture, and other factors well, speed up the evaporation rate of soil moisture, and also prune away part of the plant's root system. This suppresses the growth of cotton stems and leaves and avoids the formation of leggy seedlings.
3. Timely soil hilling
Appropriate soil hilling can create a good growth environment for the cotton root system. It improves soil permeability and is very favorable for promoting new roots. Because soil hilling can prevent the soil from becoming too saline-alkaline, raise soil temperature, promote the growth of cotton roots, and ensure that cotton seedlings can grow steadily. The time for soil hilling is generally around May each year, and it should not be too early or too late. If it is too early, the soil is too alkaline and the seedling survival rate is low, while if it is too late, the soil loses moisture seriously, the soil temperature is insufficient, and cotton seedlings emerge slowly, thus forming leggy seedlings.
4. Fertilizing to promote seedlings
Leggy seedlings are actually a type of weak seedling, so at this time promoting seedling growth is very important. Generally, after each intertillage, an appropriate amount of monopotassium phosphate, urea, and other fertilizers can be sprayed per mu. At the same time, an appropriate amount of brassinolide and other growth regulators can also be added. In particular, attention should be paid to supplemental fertilization before cotton seedlings grow three true leaves. If potassium fertilizer is lacking during the cotton seedling stage, then it will affect cotton photosynthesis, causing seedlings to be prone to disease and leading to root rot. Finally, we must also do a good job in controlling cotton thrips to avoid pests and diseases harming the growth of cotton seedlings.
The above is a brief introduction to how to prevent leggy cotton seedlings. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!