Agronomic Practices

01

🌾 Crop Rotation

The following crop rotations can be adopted for American cotton:

Wheat – Narma
Clusterbean – Fallow – Narma
Chickpea – Narma
Fallow – Narma

02

🌱 Field Selection

Proper field selection is very important for obtaining a good cotton crop.

✓ Medium-textured soil suitable ✕ Completely sandy soil not suitable ✕ Waterlogged fields ✕ Alkalinity-affected fields

⚠️ Precaution:


Do not sow cotton in fields affected by
waterlogging and soil alkalinity.

03

🚜 Field Preparation

Start field preparation immediately after harvesting the previous crop. After wheat harvesting, properly prepare the field before sowing cotton.

🚜 First Tillage One deep ploughing

🌱 Implement Mouldboard plough

🔄 Subsequent Tillage 2–3 cultivator ploughings

📌 Important:


Start field preparation immediately after
harvesting the previous crop.

04

💧 Pre-sowing Irrigation

Deep irrigation is necessary for proper establishment of the cotton crop.

💦 Deep Irrigation

Deep irrigation is essential before sowing.

🌬️ Fields with blowing sand:


In fields where blowing sand causes the problem
of plant mortality, the crop can be protected by
trimming the stalks and giving pre-sowing irrigation
without ploughing the field.

05

🛡️ Soil Treatment

Soil treatment is particularly important in termite-affected fields.

🪲 Termite-Affected Fields

After pre-sowing irrigation and before ploughing, mix Quinalphos 4% dust at the rate of 6 kg per bigha in termite-affected fields.

✓ After pre-sowing irrigation ✓ Before ploughing ✓ Termite-affected fields

06

📅 Sowing Time

🌱 General Sowing 1 May to 20 May

🌾 Bikaneri Narma 15 April to 15 May

📌 Bikaneri Narma:


Bikaneri Narma can be sown from 15 April
to 15 May. Sowing can also be continued
up to the end of May.

07

🌱 Seed Treatment

01

Fibre Removal

For 10 kg seed, add 1 litre of commercial sulphuric acid and stir with a wooden stick for 1–2 minutes. Immediately wash the seed under running water and separate the floating immature seeds.

02

Prevention of Pink Bollworm

Fumigate 4 to 40 kg seed with 3 grams of aluminium phosphide for at least 24 hours, or expose it to strong sunlight for 6 hours.

03

Sucking Pests & Leaf Curl Virus

Treat delinted seed with Imidacloprid 70 WS (5 grams) or Thiamethoxam 70 WS (4 grams) per kg of seed.

04

Bacterial Blight (Black Arm)

Soak the seed required for one bigha for 8–10 hours in a solution of Streptocycline 1 gram or Plantomycin 10 grams (100 ppm) per 1 litre of water. Do not soak delinted seed for more than 2 hours.

05

Root Rot

Dry seed soaked in plain water in the shade, then treat it with Trichoderma harzianum / Pseudomonas fluorescens at 10 grams/kg, or Carboxin 70% WP (3 grams), or Carbendazim 50% WP (2 grams) per kg of seed.

📌 Note:


For treatment against both pests and diseases,
first treat the seed with fungicide/antibiotic,
followed by insecticide treatment.

08

🌾 Seed Rate & Sowing

01

Normal Narma

Certified seed: 4 kg per bigha. Sowing depth: 4–5 cm. Row-to-row spacing: 67 cm.

02

R.S. 875

Certified seed: 6 kg per bigha. Row-to-row spacing: 60 cm.

03

Raj. H.H. 16 (Hybrid)

Seed rate: 1.0 kg per bigha. Sowing by dibbling method. Spacing: 60 cm.

04

R.S. 2013 & R.S.T. 9

Row spacing can be maintained at 67.5 × 30 cm or 90 × 30 cm.

09

✂️ Thinning

Carry out thinning at the time of the first irrigation to maintain the recommended plant-to-plant spacing.

🌱 Normal Narma 30 cm spacing

🌾 Plants per Bigha Approximately 12,000

🌱 R.S. 875 20 cm spacing

🌾 R.S. 875 Plants Approximately 21,000/bigha

🌱 Raj. H.H. 16 60 cm spacing

🌾 Raj. H.H. 16 Plants Approximately 6,200/bigha

📌 Timing:


Carry out thinning at the time of the first
irrigation and maintain the recommended
plant spacing.