Home › Growing Techniques › Article

What should be noted when advancing the cotton sowing date?

Growing Techniques 0 views
Can the cotton sowing date really be advanced? Based on many years of cotton sowing practice, the lessons in this regard are very profound. It is true that using plastic film mulching for nutrient-pot seedling raising can also allow sowing in mid-to-late March and produce cotton seedlings in early April, and large-scale demonstrations have been carried out in production, but the result is that management is very difficult, and it is also hard to ensure full stands and strong seedlings. First, cold waves are frequent in early to mid-April, temperature fluctuations are large, north winds occur many times, and it is very difficult to judge when to uncover and cover the seedbed film; second, if continuous rainy weather occurs, it is difficult to ventilate the cotton seedlings on the seedbed, which very easily leads to spindly seedlings and causes cotton seedlings to lodge; third, low temperature and rain also easily induce diseases such as damping-off, anthracnose, and seedling blight, causing patches of dead seedlings in the seedbed; fourth, early sowing prolongs the seedling age of cotton seedlings, forcing them to be transplanted into the field too early. When early-transplanted cotton seedlings encounter cold waves, missing plants and broken rows often result from dead seedlings, generally 10%-20% missing plants, and in severe cases 30%-50% missing plants. In recent years, many new varieties have been introduced in cotton production, especially hybrid insect-resistant cotton, which is relatively expensive. If the area of missing plants is too large, it will not only cause economic losses, but also make it difficult to achieve one sowing, one transplanting, and one full stand of cotton. The planned cotton field area often cannot be realized, and it is even harder to ensure that excellent cotton seed is planted to achieve a high and bumper harvest.

Can the cotton sowing date really be advanced? Based on many years of cotton sowing practice, the lessons in this regard are very profound. It is true that using plastic film mulching for nutrient-pot seedling raising can also allow sowing in mid-to-late March and produce cotton seedlings in early April, and large-scale demonstrations have been carried out in production, but the result is that management is very difficult, and it is also hard to ensure full stands and strong seedlings. First, cold waves are frequent in early to mid-April, temperature fluctuations are large, north winds occur many times, and it is very difficult to judge when to uncover and cover the seedbed film; second, if continuous rainy weather occurs, it is difficult to ventilate the cotton seedlings on the seedbed, which very easily leads to spindly seedlings and causes cotton seedlings to lodge; third, low temperature and rain also easily induce diseases such as damping-off, anthracnose, and seedling blight, causing patches of dead seedlings in the seedbed; fourth, early sowing prolongs the seedling age of cotton seedlings, forcing them to be transplanted into the field too early. When early-transplanted cotton seedlings encounter cold waves, missing plants and broken rows often result from dead seedlings, generally 10%-20% missing plants, and in severe cases 30%-50% missing plants. In recent years, many new varieties have been introduced in cotton production, especially hybrid insect-resistant cotton, which is relatively expensive. If the area of missing plants is too large, it will not only cause economic losses, but also make it difficult to achieve one sowing, one transplanting, and one full stand of cotton. The planned cotton field area often cannot be realized, and it is even harder to ensure that excellent cotton seed is planted to achieve a high and bumper harvest.

In the face of the emergence of warm winter climate, what choice should be made regarding the sowing date of excellent cotton seed? According to many years of experience, in order to prevent excellent cotton seed from suffering losses or to suffer fewer losses, the following links should be focused on in nutrient-pot seedling raising and transplanting technology.

Understand the temperature requirements for cotton emergence. According to research, the minimum limit temperature for cotton seed germination is 10.5°C, the temperature for emergence is above 12°C, and the active accumulated temperature for sowing and emergence is 80°C-100°C. If the temperature requirements are met, normal emergence can occur.

Understand the local climate patterns. Taking the middle reaches of the Yangtze River as an example, the average temperature in late March is above 9°C, the average temperature in early April is above 13°C, and the average temperature in mid-April is above 16°C. Therefore, trial sowing can be done in early April, and in mid-April time and labor can be concentrated for a concentrated large-scale sowing. Sowing during this period is relatively reliable.

Achieve safe and timely transplanting of strong seedlings. Generally speaking, transplanting cotton pot seedlings from late April to early May, or transplanting when cotton seedlings have 3 true leaves, is relatively safe, because at this time the young stems begin to lignify and stress resistance increases. From conventional experience, this is called "when the time comes, do not wait for the seedlings; when the seedlings are ready, do not wait for the time."

Related Articles