How to grow cotton to achieve high yield?

Cotton is one of the important agricultural crops in China, and is particularly critical in Xinjiang, where it is the main source of income for local growers. In order to achieve high yield and high quality of cotton, it is crucial to improve planting management techniques, which involves field management during the cotton growth period. Ensuring that cotton's growth and development follows its natural physiological laws is the key to ensuring a good harvest. So how can we grow cotton to achieve high yield?

1. Field selection

Cotton prefers warmth and plenty of sunlight, and has a large root system that can reach a depth of more than 2 meters. The ideal soil for cotton cultivation should be deep, well-drained, sandy loam that is easy to irrigate and drain, and has medium to high fertility.

2. Application of basal fertilizer

Cotton fertilization should be mainly organic fertilizer . It is recommended to apply it when turning the soil before sowing. Generally, 3,000 to 4,000 kilograms of high-quality organic fertilizer is applied per mu, plus 30 to 80 kilograms of compound fertilizer , and 1 to 2 kilograms of zinc fertilizer and boron fertilizer. If there is a lack of organic fertilizer, microbial fertilizer can be used instead. Apply during soil preparation in spring, or in combination with deep tillage in autumn and winter.

3. Variety selection

Selecting excellent varieties is the key to ensuring high yields in the later stages. It is recommended to choose cotton varieties with a growth cycle of 110 to 135 days, strong disease and pest resistance, high yield and good quality, such as the Xinlu Zao, Zhongmian and Lumianyan series and other varieties approved in recent years.

4. Suitable for sowing

1. Appropriate sowing time is the key to ensuring full seedling growth. When the surface temperature remains above 15 degrees Celsius for five consecutive days, it is the best time to sow seeds. It is best to sow seeds in the morning on a sunny day. The suitable sowing time in northern Xinjiang is usually in mid-April, and no later than April 20th.

2. Strictly control the sowing amount to ensure the growth of all seedlings. Sow one seed in each hole and cover the seed with soil about 1 cm thick to ensure that the cotton seedlings are neat and strong. Irrigate promptly within 24 hours after sowing, but control the amount of water. It is recommended to use about 10 cubic meters per mu to prevent seedling diseases caused by late spring cold.

Suggestion 1: In addition to conventional drug coating treatments, plant immune inducers and growth regulators such as Bacillus subtilis, amino oligosaccharides or brassinolide can be used for seed treatment to promote root growth and seedling strength, and improve the cotton seedlings' ability to resist adversity.

Suggestion 2: Irrigate in small amounts to ensure that the seeds are in contact with water. In case of late spring cold or rainy and low temperature conditions, humic acid drip irrigation fertilizer can be applied in appropriate amounts.

5. Cultivation of strong seedlings

After the cotton seedlings emerge from the soil, when the cotyledons turn from yellow to green, you should take advantage of a sunny day to check the seedlings and replant them. Especially on hot and sunny days, it is necessary to check the seedlings early and assist in transplanting them to prevent high temperature burns. After the rain, especially for heavy clay soil, it is necessary to break up the compaction in time to help the cotton seedlings emerge from the soil. Check the seedlings and cover them with soil. Due to the windy nature of early spring in northern Xinjiang, cotton seedlings that are not properly covered with soil should be sealed with fine soil in time. Early soil covering helps the cotton seedlings mature early.

6. Water Management

Cotton requires more water during its growth cycle. The first irrigation should be delayed depending on the weather, soil and cotton seedling conditions. At around 12 to 13 noon, if the top 3 to 4 leaves of the cotton plant begin to wilt, drip irrigation should be carried out. It is recommended not to apply fertilizer during the first irrigation, but to increase the irrigation amount to encourage the cotton roots to penetrate deep into the soil, which is conducive to the stable growth of the cotton seedlings in the later stage. If there is a strong wind after the cotton field is irrigated, the cotton must be straightened in time after it falls over to help the cotton quickly resume normal growth.

7. Reasonable topdressing

Apply seedling fertilizer lightly, apply bud fertilizer steadily, apply flower and boll fertilizer heavily, and apply top fertilizer as a supplement. The flowering and boll-forming stage is the period when cotton requires the most fertilizer. Generally, 20 to 30 kilograms of compound fertilizer are applied per mu. For cotton fields with poor fertility, little base fertilizer, and weak growth, you can apply fertilizer in advance. Apply topdressing when the cotton plants are more than 80% in bloom and have 1 to 2 young fruits. It is best to apply fertilizer in strips. The main purpose of applying top fertilizer is to prevent cotton from premature aging due to lack of fertilizer in the later stage, promote the steady growth of the plants, enhance their resistance to diseases, insects and premature aging, strive to produce more autumn peaches and increase boll weight.

Generally, foliar topdressing is carried out before and after topping. For nitrogen-deficient or prematurely aged cotton fields, 1 to 3 kg of urea is added and sprayed per mu, once every 5 to 7 days and once during each irrigation.

For cotton fields that are deficient in phosphorus and potassium or that grow too vigorously and mature late, spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution every 7 to 10 days, and spray 2 to 3 times in succession to achieve the goal of no yellowing leaves, no falling leaves, no premature aging, and high yield and high quality in the later stage.

In short, if you want to achieve high yield in cotton planting, every link is crucial. Only by grasping every step can cotton cultivation achieve high yield.