The Latest Autumn Cotton Management Methods
The weather is gradually cooling down now, and we have officially entered autumn, so cotton management has reached its final critical period. Many friends did excellent work in the early stages of management, but they relaxed their management in the final stage, which left cotton yields still falling short of expectations. In fact, autumn management is extremely important, so how should cotton be managed during the autumn period? Below, the editor brings you the autumn cotton management techniques. Let's take a look!
1. Water management
Water is very important for the growth of cotton plants. If cotton lacks water, it will cause the cotton field to produce a large amount of ethylene gas, which affects plant growth and causes a series of physiological phenomena such as premature aging. Therefore, in the water-deficient autumn season, it is necessary to ensure sufficient water in the field. The soil moisture content must not be lower than 55%, but water should also not be excessive, and waterlogging must not occur in the cotton field, as this affects root vitality. So we must both prevent drought and reasonably control and prevent waterlogging.
2. Intertillage and soil loosening
After the cotton field is watered or after a rain, the soil becomes compacted, which makes ventilation and air permeability difficult and affects root respiration. At this time, we should loosen the soil in time to break up the compacted areas and improve soil aeration. This can not only promote cotton root respiration and nutrient absorption, but also reduce cotton lodging and ensure plant growth and yield.
3. Foliar topdressing
In autumn, sunlight gradually decreases, and leaf photosynthesis begins to decline. To increase nutrients, we can appropriately spray foliar fertilizer to promote the leaves' absorption capacity and increase the boll-setting rate. In addition, when cotton forms bolls, it consumes a huge amount of nutrients and needs a large amount of potassium fertilizer, so we must supplement nutrients in time to promote boll topping. Foliar topdressing is mainly based on spraying foliar fertilizer. Note that it should not be done when the temperature is relatively high.
4. Preventing excessive vegetative growth and late maturity
Excessive vegetative growth and late maturity is one of the problems that occurs in many grain crops. Many farmers, in order to increase yield and promote plant growth, continuously use excessive nitrogen fertilizer. Improper application timing and excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizer will both cause plants to grow excessively and remain green and late-maturing, affecting the cracking time of cotton bolls and reducing quality. However, this also depends on the variety. For late-maturing varieties, ripening agents can be sprayed appropriately.
5. Proper pruning
Pruning work is very important. After a year of growth, plants will naturally develop various old leaves, diseased branches, and so on. We should promptly remove aged leaves, branches that cannot bear fruit, and so on. Then remove the tips of the branches. If the planting density is relatively high, then after rain, adjacent plants should be controlled to form a “” shape. This can ensure light for all plants and also enhance the permeability of the cotton field.
6. Pest and disease control
Doing a good job in pest and disease control is essential, especially for the yellow-leaf wilt and cotton bollworm, which occur frequently in autumn. To control yellow-leaf wilt, potassium fertilizer and an appropriate amount of trace element fertilizers can be applied as topdressing. For pest control, pesticides such as strong trichlorfon can be sprayed. Be careful not to overapply, as excessive application may also have a certain impact on the plants.
The above six points are the techniques for managing cotton in autumn, and they are also some of the things we need to do well in autumn. Only by managing all aspects properly can cotton yield be ensured. Pay attention to fertilizer application. Do not apply fertilizer in a biased way or excessively, because incorrect fertilization methods will have a certain impact on plant growth. That is all for today's introduction. We hope everyone can successfully grow high-yield cotton.