Early Management of Cotton Seedlings Comes First

    The period from cotton seedling emergence to squaring is called the seedling stage, lasting 50--60 days. If management during the seedling stage is timely and scientific, the cotton seedlings grow vigorously, square early, flower and set bolls early, and achieve high yield, good quality and high returns. If management is not timely, growth will be slow, the cotton seedlings will be thin and weak, squaring will be delayed, and late development and late maturity will result. The main task of seedling stage management is to promote vegetative growth and achieve strong seedlings with early development. The measures for seedling stage management put "early" first: early seedlings managed early to promote early development, late seedlings managed early to strive for early development, laying a good foundation for a bumper cotton harvest. 
    
    1. Spray growth hormones early to promote rooting and leaf growth. 
    
    After cotton transplanting or at the 1--2 leaf stage, spray a 3000-fold dilution of 1.8% Aiduoshou aqueous solution to promote root, stem and leaf growth. At the 5--6 leaf stage, use 60--80 ml per mu of 0.01% Fuzi, add 50 kg of water, and spray on the leaves. This promotes the growth of roots, stems and leaves and flower bud differentiation. 
    
    2. Promptly prop up lodged wheat. 
    
    During the flowering and grain-filling stages of wheat, if lodging occurs due to wind and rain, it should be propped up promptly to ensure adequate light and ventilation for the cotton seedlings. 
    
    3. Control pests early. 
    
    This year the early spring temperatures were relatively high, and pest damage was heavier than in previous years. The main pests are cutworms, cotton aphids and red spider mites. Using poisoned bait to control cutworms is very effective. The method is: 50 kg wheat bran, 0.5 kg crystalline trichlorfon, 0.5 kg vinegar, 12--15 kg water. Dissolve the pesticide and sugar-vinegar in water, use a sprayer to spray the wheat bran while mixing evenly, apply 4--5 kg per mu, and scatter it at the base of the cotton seedlings in the evening. To protect natural enemies, aphids should be controlled by stem smearing or heart dropping to control aphids and red spider mites. The method is: use monocrotophos, omethoate or methamidophos 1 part, slow-release agent 0.1 part, water 5--6 parts. The preparation method is to boil the water, slowly add polyvinyl alcohol, wait until it is completely dissolved, then cool and add the pesticide. Use a small wooden stick with cotton tied to one end, and dab the slow-release agent onto the red-green junction of the cotton seedling. If red spider mites occur in spots, apply 2 more times at intervals of 5--7 days to kill eggs and nymphs. 
    
    4. Timely intertillage and stubble clearing. 
    
    Cotton is a warmth-loving crop; when soil temperature is adequate, growth is fast and seedling disease is mild. As the farming saying goes: "Early hoeing warms the soil, frequent hoeing keeps it from hardening, deep hoeing gives deep roots, strong plants and short fruiting nodes." The method is "the first pass shallow, the second pass deep, the third pass with a hook hoe." Especially for the third intertillage, the key lies in "timeliness" and "depth." 
    
    5. Timely fertilizer and water management. 
    
    For cotton fields with sufficient base fertilizer, generally no additional fertilizer is needed. If the base fertilizer is insufficient, it can be supplemented during stubble clearing, generally applied in bands along the plow: 50 kg of cake fertilizer per mu or 500---1000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure, 5--8 kg of urea, 10 kg of potash fertilizer, and 20 kg of phosphate fertilizer. If the weather is dry, a small or shallow watering can be given in a timely manner together with additional fertilizer, avoiding flood irrigation.