What to do when cotton encounters rain after sowing? Keep these countermeasures in mind

After cotton is sown, rainy weather during the seedling stage not only affects the seed emergence rate and uniformity of emergence, but also affects the growth quality of cotton seedlings, leading to reduced yield. Rain after cotton sowing is a headache-inducing phenomenon, so what should be done when it rains after cotton sowing? Let's take a look at the remedial methods.

1. Rain after sowing with plastic film mulch

For planting methods using plastic film mulch, the accumulated water on the film should be cleared away promptly after rain. This is because the sowing rows under plastic film mulch are generally somewhat lower than the ridges, so after rainfall the accumulated water on the film collects over the sowing rows. If there is too much accumulated water, the film cannot withstand the pressure and breaks, causing a large amount of rainwater to flow into the sowing rows; excessive humidity under the film will cause cotton seed rot or induce disease. Another point is that accumulated water on the plastic film affects the film's light transmittance and temperature, so after rainfall the water on the plastic film should be cleared promptly, and at the same time shallow hoeing and intertillage should be carried out between the films to break up the compacted soil, raise the soil temperature and favor seed germination.

2. Rain after open-field sowing

In the case of open-field sowing, after rain the first thing to do is intertillage and loosening the soil to break up soil compaction and help the seeds break through the soil and emerge. The depth of intertillage should also be handled differently: if the seeds have not yet germinated, the hoeing depth should not exceed the sowing depth, lest the seeds be hoed directly out of the ground or their position be shifted, affecting emergence. If they have already germinated and rooted and are about to break through the soil, deeper hoeing is appropriate, but the young roots must not be damaged, lest seedling growth be affected or seedlings die.

3. According to the amount of rainfall

If it is a tiny amount of rainfall that does not form surface runoff, there is no need to break the crust; the seeds can emerge normally on their own. If it is a small amount of relatively hard rain, differentiate after rainfall according to sowing time: for those sown within three days, a wooden or iron roller with spike teeth can be used for light rolling to break up soil compaction; for those sown within 5-6 days, a wooden or iron roller with ridges can be used for light rolling to break up soil compaction; and for those sown more than a week ago, manual seedling release should be used to break up soil compaction so as not to damage the young sprouts.

The above is an introduction to what to do when cotton encounters rain after sowing. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.