Cotton High-Yield Planting Techniques and Management Methods Tutorial

Cotton is an important cash crop in China, and to achieve high yields of cotton, management work at each growth stage needs to be done well during the cotton planting process. Why is this important? So how should cotton be managed when planting? How can high yields be achieved? Let us take a look together.

1. Pruning and Topping

Cotton topping begins in early to mid-July and ends before mid-August. Pruning and topping at this time, on the one hand, involves removing excessive vegetative branches, water sprouts, and side shoots, while on the other hand, it involves removing the clustered tips on the middle and lower parts of the plant. The purpose is to shape the plant architecture, remove apical dominance, improve ventilation and light penetration conditions in the field, and allocate nutrients reasonably to enhance root absorption capacity, so that the plant sets more bolls and larger bolls during this period and reduces the occurrence of rotten bolls. However, when topping and pinching, note that fields with high planting density and weak growth should be topped early, while fields with low planting density and vigorous growth can be topped appropriately later.

2. Strengthen Fertilization Management

The fertilization principles for cotton are: light application of seedling fertilizer, steady application of square fertilizer, heavy application of flower and boll fertilizer, and supplementary application of topping fertilizer. During the flower and boll stage, the demand for fertilizer is relatively high. When most plants are flowering, 20-30 kg of compound fertilizer can be applied per mu. For fields with insufficient base fertilizer and poor soil fertility, apply early. At this time, mainly strengthen the supplementary application of topping fertilizer to prevent nutrient deficiency and premature senescence in the later stage, so as to set more bolls and increase boll weight, especially when flower and boll fertilizer is insufficient, topping fertilizer should be applied promptly. Before mid-August, 6-7 kg of potassium fertilizer plus 10-15 kg of urea can be applied per mu, and fields deficient in potassium can appropriately increase the application amount. When fertilizing, it is best to change from broadcasting to furrow application or band application, applying fertilizer between the wide rows. Being too close to the roots can easily cause root burn and premature senescence. This fertilization method is more conducive to fertilizer efficiency, nourishing the roots while protecting them. In addition, foliar spraying should be carried out before and after cotton topping. In the later stage, the root absorption capacity of the plant is weak, and foliar spraying can provide sufficient nutrient supply for the cotton plant, ensuring the smooth development of cotton bolls.

3. Timely Watering to Prevent Drought

Cotton has a long growth cycle and a high water requirement. When watering, decisions should be made flexibly based on weather, soil moisture, and growth conditions. Especially during the flower and boll stage, the water requirement can reach 45%-65% of the total water demand. Generally, at noon, when the top leaves of the plant show wilting, it indicates a water shortage, and watering should be done promptly. Where conditions permit, drip irrigation can be used; where not, furrow watering can be adopted. Watering is best combined with fertilizer flushing, and preferably before 10 AM or after 4 PM. In addition, it should be noted that in August, with high temperatures and strong sunlight, cotton is in the boll-setting stage with high water consumption, making autumn drought very likely, so timely watering is needed. Also, after a long drought, watering heavily or sudden heavy rain can cause "sudden death premature senescence" in cotton, which should be noted.

4. Strengthen Pest and Disease Control

The main pests and diseases of cotton also include cotton bollworm, red spider mite, white spider mite, summer cotton aphid, red leaf stem blight, fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt, etc. Targeted measures should be taken for different pests and diseases. For example, emamectin benzoate and chlorantraniliprole can be used to control cotton bollworm; spirodiclofen plus pyridaben can control red spider mite; and carbendazim, hymexazol, and kehuangku can control fusarium wilt. When spraying, it is best to choose between 4 PM and dusk, and focus on spraying the undersides of leaves.

  The above is an introduction to cotton planting management and related content. We hope it can help you. For more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.