Optimal pre-plant irrigation and fertilization can improve biomass accumulation by maintaining the root and leaf productive capacity of cotton crop

Abstract

Cotton is a major cash crop grown worldwide primarily for fiber and oil seed. As the most important cultural practices for cotton production, single pre-plant irrigation and basal fertilization for cotton plant growth and yield are well documented, but their coupling effects are poorly understood in arid regions. A 2-year outdoor pot trial was conducted to unravel the effects of pre-plant irrigation and basal fertilization on leaf area, root growth, biomass accumulation, and capacity of leaf area and root in cotton plant. Two pre-plant irrigations (i.e., W80, well-watered and W0, not watered) and two basal dressing fertilizations (F10, surface application and F30, deep application) were used in the experiments. The aboveground and reproductive biomass were highest in W80F10 after 69 days after emergence. Furthermore, W80F10 increased the root length in the 0–40 cm soil layer and the leaf area and improved the loading boll capacity of the effective root length and leaf area. The effective root length and leaf area had substantial direct effects on the aboveground and root biomass, respectively. Our data suggest that basal fertilizer surface application under adequate pre-plant irrigation is an effective strategy for optimal cotton production, which improves the coordination of water-nutrient absorption and photosynthetic areas and promotes assimilated distribution to the reproductive structures.