What are the latest precautions for cotton cultivation?

Cotton cultivation has its own unique growing methods, because cotton is the main raw material for making fabric and is used very widely in daily life; cotton needs to stay white, dry, free of disease, and soft. Therefore, during production and cultivation, attention must be paid to ensuring quality through some specific management measures. For what exactly to pay attention to, please look at the content below.

1. Drip irrigation

Growth stops under high summer temperatures. At this time, timely drip irrigation is needed to keep cotton buds from dropping. In July, drip irrigate once every five days, with each irrigation penetrating until moist. From August to September, drip irrigate once every week, maintaining 50% moisture content; if humidity is too high, cotton tends to grow old.

2. Fertilization

Fertilization is mainly done at the bud stage, which is the main period of plant growth. Apply more fertilizer to weak cotton seedlings so they can catch up with the growth progress of the others; do not apply nitrogen fertilizer in a one-sided way, as it will cause excessive vegetative growth; apply roughly 50% nitrogen fertilizer, 20% phosphorus fertilizer, and 30% potassium fertilizer. Urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be applied; cotton must need a certain amount of boron fertilizer, so it can be supplemented in an appropriate amount.

3. Preventing premature aging

Shallow root distribution, slender stems, red spots on some leaves, yellowing leaves, and browning roots are the main signs of premature aging. Maintain the suitable moisture content needed at each stage; spray pesticides as little as possible to avoid pesticide damage; spray trace element fertilizer on the leaves to avoid cotton nutrient deficiency symptoms; in the later stage, when the top leaves expand and extend and the space becomes closed, some old leaves need to be removed to improve the environment, ventilation, and light penetration.

4. Weeding

In spring, weeds have not long emerged; for those with weak roots, herbicides can be used, and for those with strong roots, they can be pulled out directly. In summer, weeds grow vigorously, so timely manual pulling is needed; do not leave them until autumn, to prevent seeds from dropping. Avoid competition for water and nutrients.

5. Pest control

The pests harmful to cotton are mainly cotton aphids and red spider mites. Generally, pesticides are sprayed, using several different pesticides alternately. This avoids resistance, which would otherwise require continuously increasing the dosage and cause pesticide damage to cotton. Generally, preventive control is used, spraying thoroughly. Pesticides should be sprayed on sunny afternoons or cloudy days to bring out their effectiveness.

The issues to pay attention to in cotton cultivation are actually all related to the actual growth of cotton. The main points are the content I introduced above, but in real production, because of differences in environment, variety, and other factors, the things to pay attention to will also differ, so you can pay attention on your own.