The Cultivation of Rainfed Deshi Cotton on the Black Soil Area of the Central and Southern Districts of Madras State with Suggestions for Improvement

Abstract

Nearly five lakh acres of black soils in the Southern and Central districts of the Madras are annually cropped with rainfed deshi cotton, comprising more than one variety, known in trade as "Uppam", "Tinnies" and "Karungannies" (1). Uppam is short stapled (22/32" and below), low ginning, coarse linted cotton, spinning only upto 14's warp counts and belongs to the species Gossypium herbaceum race acerifolium. It is grown in parts of Central districts and coastal taluks of the Southern districts. Karunganni Gossypium arboreum race indicum is a superior medium stapled (26/32" to 27/32"), higher ginning variety, spinning up to 24's and of higher market value than Uppam and is grown in parts of Central and Southern districts. Tinnies on the other hand is a variable mixture of the types and their hybrid derivatives and is intermediate in staple (23/32" to 25/32"). From the point of climate and agriculture the unirrigated deshi cotton tract can be classified into two distinct zones, namely the districts of Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and part of Madurai forming a Southern zone and distinct from the Central zone comprising the districts of Coimbatore, part of Tiruchirapalli and Palani taluk of Madurai district. Cotton is raised as a rainfed crop and is sown mostly broadcast with the help of. North-East Monsoon rains, though the variety grown and rotational practices differ widely.