Integrated Weed Management in Cotton

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the most important fiber crop of the world, cultivated over a large area, and possesses several benefits. Fiber, food, feed, industrial products, and livelihood for a huge portion of population are some of the salient utilities of cotton crop. Cotton is perhaps the most problematic crop of the world, attacked by hundreds of insect pests, disease pathogens, and weeds. Weeds not only decrease the cotton production but also deteriorate the lint quality as well as harbor insect pests and diseases. Also, the composition of weed flora competing with cotton plants changes drastically with the changing set of management practices. The salient technologies for weed control in cotton include the application of preemergence herbicides, spray of postemergence herbicides, and the use of genetically modified herbicide-resistant cotton cultivars. Several other available options include the cultural weed control, weed control through allelopathy, and tillage. The techniques such as stale seedbed and use of allelopathy have special attraction for controlling weeds in cotton for their cost-effectiveness and environmental gains. Undoubtedly, the techniques are quite effective in suppressing the weeds and improving cotton growth. However, they are rarely implemented in an integrated way. Integrated weed management focuses on avoiding the causes of weed prevalence with basis from scientific knowledge and available management options rather than the mere reaction to the present weed flora. Most important considerations include limiting the weed population through implementation of all best available options so that the surviving weeds are least damaging for the crop. Nevertheless, systematically combining several of available effective weed control strategies as an “integrated approach” would aid for effective weed control in cotton, improved lint quality, cost-effectiveness, reduced risk of herbicide resistance development in weeds, and environmental conservation.