Cotton Relay Intercropping Under Continuous Cotton-Wheat Cropping System

Abstract

Cotton-wheat is an important cropping system of the world in which cotton is sown after harvest of wheat in the start of summer season. In the recent decades, Bt cotton cultivars have been introduced to better combat the bollworms. However, the Bt cotton cultivars have a growth period longer than the conventional cotton cultivars. This situation pressured the farmers to opt to grow either wheat or cotton in a single year. This not only could result in economic loss to farmers but also could threaten the food security of the cropping region. Relay cropping of cotton in wheat was suggested by an innovative solution for maintaining the productivity and sustainability of cotton-wheat cropping system. Relay cropping of cotton in wheat could be done either by inter-seeding the seeds of cotton in free space between the wheat strips (while wheat is at reproductive phase) or by transplanting the 5–7-week-old cotton seedlings between the wheat strips. Subsequent research work indicated that relay cropping could improve the resource use efficiency and overall productivity of the cotton-wheat cropping system. In a 2-year study in Punjab, Pakistan, conducted at two locations, intercropping cotton in bed−/ridge-sown wheat in early March improved the overall system productivity and cotton fiber quality as compared with conventionally tilled cotton sown after harvest of flat-sown wheat in late April. Future research may investigate the weed control and incorporation of conservation agricultural practices in the cotton-wheat relay intercropping systems.