A Note on the Effect of Cultivating Cotton in Rice Fallows on the Yield of Succeeding Paddy Crop

Abstract

During the past seven years attempts are being made to fit in a short duration American cotton for the deltaic rice lands of Tanjore, as a well irrigated crop in summer, and capable of recording good yields of the order of 800 lbs. or more of kapas per acre, with a quality of lint suitable for spinning 36 counts. For this purpose, the imported variety P. 216F from punjab, with a duration of five months, was found to be suitable. This cotton has now spread over an area of about 6,000 acres in the districts of Tiruchira- palli, Madurai, Tanjore, North Arcot, South Arcot and Chingleput. Although the practice of growing cotton in the tankfed rice lands after harvest of paddy is popular with the cultivators of the Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli and Madurai yet certain cultivators of the deltaic areas of Tanjore and other centres feared that the cultivation of cotton might depress the yield of paddy. Observations were therefore made for a period of three years on the yield of paddy in the rice fallows where cotton was grown during summer, at Aduthurai, Palur and Coimbatare representing deltaic, coastal and non-deltaic rice lands, with different durations of fallow periods. The purpose of this note is to record the results of the observations.