Home › Growing Techniques › Article

How to Apply Fertilizer Skillfully to Cotton? A Explanation of Practical Technical Points

Growing Techniques 0 views
Fertilizer is the material basis for high cotton yields, and applying fertilizer according to need is the highest principle of cotton fertilization. Where conditions allow, soil testing and fertilizer recommendation should be carried out, and based on the available nutrient content of the soil and the needs for high cotton yields, the type and amount of fertilizer to apply should be determined. For most cotton fields in the north, the amount of potassium fertilizer should be increased, the amount of phosphorus fertilizer reduced, and nitrogen fertilizer mainly used for topdressing, or a formula fertilizer with "high potassium, low phosphorus, medium nitrogen" should be applied. If a compound fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is used, the amount per mu should not exceed 25 kg, plus an additional 12.5 kg of potassium fertilizer

Fertilizer is the material basis for high cotton yields, and applying fertilizer according to need is the highest principle of cotton fertilization. Where conditions allow, soil testing and fertilizer recommendation should be carried out, and based on the available nutrient content of the soil and the needs for high cotton yields, the type and amount of fertilizer to apply should be determined. For most cotton fields in the north, the amount of potassium fertilizer should be increased, the amount of phosphorus fertilizer reduced, and nitrogen fertilizer mainly used for topdressing, or a formula fertilizer with "high potassium, low phosphorus, medium nitrogen" should be applied. If a compound fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is used, the amount per mu should not exceed 25 kg, plus an additional 12.5 kg of potassium fertilizer as base fertilizer, and another 15 kg of urea or other nitrogen fertilizer should be kept for topdressing.

When applying base fertilizer, it must be turned into the soil, the deeper the better, so as to reduce losses as much as possible and fully bring the fertilizer effect into play. At present, most cotton fields are not plowed or harrowed, so there are the following methods for applying base fertilizer well:

1. The chemical fertilizer used as base fertilizer can be spread on the soil surface before plowing and turned into the ground together with farmyard manure. In this way, it is applied deeply and evenly, nutrient losses are small, and it can be absorbed and used by cotton roots distributed in various places.

2. Install a fertilizer applicator on the seeder and carry it out at the same time as sowing: fertilize in front, applying it between two rows of cotton at a depth of 8 to 10 cm, and sow behind. This operation saves labor, concentrates the fertilizer, reduces nutrient losses, and allows the seedlings to use it quickly.

3. Before sowing, design the row spacing and number of rows well, insert markers, first apply one row of fertilizer between the reserved two rows of cotton at a depth of more than 10 cm, and then sow, so that the fertilizer is applied deeply.

4. If rotary tillage is used instead of plowing, the fertilizer can also be spread on the soil surface before rotary tillage, but rotary tillage should reach a depth of about 15 cm as much as possible. Shallow rotary tillage after fertilization is most taboo, as it leaves most of the fertilizer in the upper soil layer and causes large nutrient losses.

Whether fertilizer is applied before plowing or before rotary tillage, irrigation can be carried out after plowing or rotary tillage to build soil moisture. Calculated at 60 to 80 cubic m of irrigation water per mu, the water depth is 9 to 12 cm, and the fertilizer will not leach into the ground with the water, but will remain in the shallow surface soil layer for absorption and use by cotton roots.

Applying base fertilizer is a key measure for high cotton yields, and it affects cotton yield and the profitability of cotton growing, so it must be applied well.

Related Articles