AGRONMIC TIPS FOR HIGHER COTTON YIELD

摘要

Cotton is an important cash crop of South-Western districts during kharif season and during 2019-20, an estimated production of 18.20 lakh bales with a record lint productivity of 778 kg/ha has been achieved in Punjab. The area under cotton is continuously shrinking since last decade primarily due to increased acreage under paddy and basmati, despite the fact that underground water is mostly unfit for crop cultivation. Pumping out brackish underground water for paddy cultivation is deteriorating thesoil as well as increasing water problems of entire South-Western districts by accumulation of harmful salts on the soil surface besides hindering availability of essential nutrients for the crop. Therefore, farmers must realize that growing paddy or basmati in soils using brackish water in South-Western region shall be injurious to their soils and cultivation of crop like cotton, which requires much less water, is the only viable solution for sustainability of region. By replacing rice, cotton can playa major role in crop diversification besides saving deterioration of land for future usage. Moreover, remunerative prices and very low usage of pesticides (only 1-2 sprays) through adoption of recommended cultivation practices in 2019 have substantiallybuilt-up the confidence of growers and may result in more cotton acreage during 2020 as compared to the previous year. Late sowing, imbalanced fertilizer use and poor weed management are prime production factors leading to poor yield at farmers’ fields. For higher cotton productivity, growers must adopt the following agronomic tips.