Detailed Explanation of When Cotton Fertilizer Burn Occurs and How to Prevent It

Every year, cotton fertilizer burn occurs to varying degrees in cotton-growing areas across different regions, and it can happen at different stages of cotton growth.

Fertilizer burn can also occur during the cotton transplanting process, so the amount of topdressing at the seedling stage must be controlled. For the first application, just 5-6 kg of urea per mu is enough, and for the second, increase it to about 10 kg. Before transplanting, applying too much base fertilizer at one time can also cause fertilizer burn. For example, when applying a high-content multi-element compound fertilizer, only 25-30 kg per mu is needed.

Applying too much nitrogen fertilizer during the bud stage can also have a negative impact on cotton. First, it easily causes excessive vegetative growth of cotton, especially from late June to early July, which can both cause a large number of buds and bolls to drop and make cotton prone to premature aging in the later stage. Second, it causes the occurrence and damage of blind stink bugs. Therefore, during the bud stage, it is best to mainly apply organic fertilizer, combined with an appropriate amount of inorganic compound fertilizer, plus 10-15 kg of potassium fertilizer.

In recent years, fertilizer burn from fertilization during the boll-setting stage has also been common. In most cases, some farmers see that it is about to rain and immediately rush to apply urea before the rain. As a result, when it clears up after the rain, they find that the leaves on several lower layers of fruiting branches of the cotton plant have wilted, and in severe cases the entire plant withers, causing serious losses. Therefore, cotton farmers must be very careful. When applying boll fertilizer, it is best to apply it in holes, or apply urea after the rain.