Cotton production outlook not optimistic, experts recommend focusing on four management measures

Reporters learned from the province-wide cotton production and high-yield creation work conference held on August 26 that this year's cotton production situation in our province is extremely unoptimistic. In response to the current realities of cotton production, attending experts recommended that cotton farmers focus on four measures.

This year's cotton production in our province is characterized by reduced area, lower per-unit yield, and decreased total output. According to incomplete statistics, the province's actual harvested cotton area is around 11 million mu, a decrease of more than one million mu compared to last year. Cotton per-unit yield is expected to be 70-75 kg, with total output of 75-80 million tons, a decrease of more than 100,000 tons. The main characteristics of this year's cotton production: First, extreme climate anomalies and severe disasters. Abnormally low temperatures in spring caused delayed sowing and overall slow cotton development. High temperatures in July caused severe boll shedding in high-yield cotton fields. Continuous rain in August, especially in the major cotton-producing areas of Dezhou and Liaocheng in northwestern Shandong and Binzhou and Dongying in northern Shandong, which were affected by severe waterlogging, reduced cotton yields by more than 30%, with total crop failure on more than 200,000 mu. Second, imbalances between regions. Compared with northwestern and northern Shandong, although the double-cropping cotton area in southwestern Shandong saw a severe decline in area, cotton growth was good, and some per-unit yields are expected to reach new highs. Third, major area adjustments. Due to low comparative benefits of cotton planting and changes in the cotton improved seed subsidy method, some cotton-planting cities saw particularly large area changes this year. Southwestern and northwestern Shandong decreased by more than 30%, while cotton-planting area on saline-alkali land along the northern Shandong coast increased considerably.

In response to the current cotton production situation, especially post-disaster production recovery and self-rescue, the conference proposed four technical measures: First, promptly pick rotted bolls to reduce losses. Due to waterlogging, most cotton fields have developed rotted bolls. Bolls that are more than 40 days old, with yellowed boll shells and beginning to show black spots, can be picked before they rot and dried in the sun to obtain relatively good cotton. Second, spray foliar fertilizer to promote boll weight. After heavy rain, fertilizer in cotton fields is severely leached. When the rain stops and skies clear, foliar fertilizer should be sprayed promptly to improve the nutritional status of cotton plants, extend the functional period of leaves, and increase the weight of late-season bolls. A 0.5%-1% urea solution, 2%-3% superphosphate solution, or 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be sprayed at 50-60 kg/mu, once a week for three consecutive sprayings. Third, remove old leaves and branches for ventilation and light penetration. In cotton fields with dense foliage, remove old leaves and ineffective branches from the middle and lower parts of the main stem to improve ventilation and light conditions and promote normal boll maturation. Fourth, carry out proper late-season pest and disease monitoring and control. The main targets for control include red leaf stem blight, Verticillium wilt, fourth-generation cotton bollworm, and tobacco whitefly.