👕 Cotton

Cotton

• Cotton is also known as White gold of America/ King of Appraisal fiber.
• It is back bone of textile industry with 45% of world’s fibre need is met form cotton.

  

• Botanical Name: Gossipium spp.
• Family: Malvaceae
• Origin: India 🇮🇳
• World (Production): India 🇮🇳 > China 🇨🇳> USA 🇺🇸
• India (Production): Gujarat > MH > Telengana
• World Cotton Day is celebrated on 7th October.

Species of Cotton

• G. barbadence is also known as Sea Island Cotton.

Comparative Study of Indian and American Cotton

Varieties of Cotton

👉🏻 Two yearsafter the release of H4 the world’s first interspecific hybrid between G. hirsutum and G. barbadense was released from the cotton Research Station, Bangalore under the name Varalaxmi.

Interspecific: G. hirsutum X G. barbadense

Varalakshmi: Laxmi X SB-289E

👉🏻 Initially, Varalaxmi was released for cultivation in Karnataka state, but later on spread to other states such as TN, AP and Maharashtra under irrigated areas.

Climate

• Cotton is a warm season crop.
• It requires an average annual temperature and rainfall of over 18°C and 500-700 mm, respectively.
• A daily mean temperature of 16 °C for seed germination, 21-27 °C for proper vegetative growth and 27-32 °C for fruiting phase.

• Critical stage of Irrigation: Flowering, Boll formation.

  

• Abundant sunshine during boll maturation and harvesting is essential to obtain a good quality crop produce.
• Heavy showers of rain or heavy irrigation during fruiting period causes shedding of flowers and young bolls.
• Day Neutral plant.

Soil

• Black cotton soil is best for cotton cultivation.

  

• Cotton can be successfully grown on all soil except sandy, saline, and waterlogged soil.
• Cotton needs a fertile soil with good moisture holding capacity.
• Tap root system (depth > 1.6 m)
• Branches:

  

• Sympodial: Reproductive branches
• Monopodial: Vegetative branches
• Normally squaring occurs 35-70 DAS. Peak flowering – 70 – 100 DAS.

Seed Rate

• Spacing for Ultra Narrow Row (developed by USA): 19 x 19 cm (2,77,000 plants/ha).

• Germination: Epigeal
• Seed depth: 3 cm (Dibbling)
• Choulfi method is used for square planting of cotton in Maharashtra and in Malva area of Madhya Pradesh.

  

Sowing Time

• North India: 1st fortnight of May
• Central India: Last week of June to 1st week of July
• In Tamil-Nadu: Sept - Oct.

Manure & Fertilizer

• Topping: Removal of terminal growing point once from each plant at a height of 1.2 m (80-90 DAS) to protect further terminal growth and to encourage sympodial branching and boll development by diverting the energy flow.
• Cotton fibers develop from the outermost cells of the seed-coat.
• Cotton seed: Only Seeds
• Seed Cotton: Seeds with lint

• Ginning: Separation of fiber from the seed cotton is known as Ginning.
• Ginning percentage = (Wt. of lint)/(Wt. of Seed Cotton ) x 100
• For G. hirsutum: 28-32 per cent (American cotton)
• For G. arborium and G. herbacium: 36-42 per cent
• Lint Index = (Weight of 100 cotton seed)/100 X Ginning %
• H₂SO₄ is used for delinting of cotton seed.

  

• Arealometer is used to measure length of Cotton fiber and to judge maturity.
• The oil content in desi cotton is 14.6-25.6 per cent, while American cotton has 14-18 per cent.
• 170 kg cotton = 1 bale.

  

• The oil content in the cotton seed ranges from 15-25 % depending on the varieties.
• Cotton seed cake is a good organic manure and contains about 6.5% N, 3% P₂O₅, 2% K₂O.

Bt-Cotton

• GM cotton is only crop permitted by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under Ministry of Environment and Forestry first permitted in March 2002.
• Bt-cotton (Bacillus thuringensis) is resistant against the pest Helicoverpa (Spotted bollworm), developed by U.S. based seed company Monsanto and registered under the name Bollgaurd.

• Of the total cotton area at 12.44 million hectares for 2017-18, the acreage under Bt was reportedly 11.07 million hectares, which works out to 90 per cent.

Major Disease

Insect Pest

Yield

• Common: 15-20 q/ha.
• Hybrid: 25-30 q/ha.

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🟢 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKLJ6KQAcjI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHgNoSYlhYs