Increase In Seed Cotton Yield Research Articles

Straw returning coupled with nitrogen fertilization increases canopy photosynthetic capacity, yield and nitrogen use efficiency in cotton

Nitrogen (N) fertilization plays a pivotal role in canopy photosynthetic capacity and yield formation of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), but the interaction effects with consecutive straw returning remain poorly understood. A field experiment was conducted (2015–2018) to examine the effects of N fertilization (0, 75, 150, and 300 kg N ha−1) coupled with or without barley and cotton straw supplementation on soil nutrient status, cotton canopy photosynthetic capacity, seedcotton yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in Yancheng, China. N fertilization coupled with straw addition enhanced most cotton growth traits, showing higher canopy apparent photosynthesis rate, leaf area index, leaf N content, specific leaf area, and boll density, and progressively increased seedcotton yield annually. In 2018, straw addition increased seedcotton yield by 7.5 %, 9.6 %, 12.1 %, and 4.1 % under 0, 75, 150, and 300 kg N ha−1, respectively, compared to corresponding treatments of straw removal. The highest increase in seedcotton yield and NUE under 150 kg N ha−1 combined with straw addition was due to the greatest improvements in soil fertility, canopy photosynthetic capacity, and N uptake by cotton. In addition, the results suggested that approx. 33–44 % of chemical N fertilizer reduction would not affect seedcotton yield with straw addition. Our results demonstrated that straw returning combined with 150 kg N ha−1 had benefits on improving soil nutrient status, canopy photosynthetic capacity, seedcotton yield, and NUE of cotton.

Simulated Dryland Cotton Yield Response to Selected Scenario Factors Associated With Soil Health

In the Texas High Plains (THP), diminishing irrigation well-capacities, and increasing costs of energy and equipment associated with groundwater extraction and application are contributing factors to a transition from irrigated to dryland agriculture. The primary goal of this modeling exercise was to investigate whether and to what extent hypothetical changes in factors putatively associated with soil health would affect dryland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) yields. The factors selected were drainage, surface runoff, soil water holding capacity, soil organic carbon (SOC) and albedo. As a first analysis to evaluate these factors, we used the CROPGRO-Cotton module within the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) cropping system model. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of reduced surface runoff, increased soil water holding capacity, and SOC, doubling of the soil albedo through stubble mulching, and of soil drainage by enhancing infiltration with no-tillage/cover crops on yield by adjusting related soil properties. In our analysis, we used mean yields simulated with soil properties of a Pullman clay loam soil at Halfway, TX on the THP as baseline, which were compared to values obtained with the adjusted factors using weather data from 2005 to 2019. Simulated mean yield increased by 27% when the soil water holding capacity was increased by 25 mm, 7% when the runoff curve number was decreased from 73 to 60, 16% when soil albedo was increased from 0.2 to 0.4, and by 58% when the soil drainage factor (fraction day−1) was doubled from 0.2. No significant statistical change in simulated mean yield was calculated when SOC was increased by 1%. Further, effects of a 50 mm pre-plant irrigation were also assessed, simulating limited irrigation in the transition to dryland agriculture that resulted in a statistically insignificant 12% increase in seed-cotton yield. Simultaneous implementation of the four statistically significant individual scenarios (increased water holding capacity, infiltration, albedo, and drainage) resulted in the highest increase (93%) in mean seed-cotton yield. An economic and risk analysis of simulated yields under different scenarios indicated that these factors could reduce revenue risk for dryland cotton producers, with most of the effect from soil drainage improvements.

Growth and yield of cotton as affected by different straw returning modes with an equivalent carbon input

Crop production is greatly affected by the applications of straw and straw-biochar. However, the responses of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth and yield to different straw returning modes with an equivalent carbon (C) input are still unclear. A four-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different straw returning modes on the soil temperature, soil water content, soil nutrient availability, cotton root growth, cotton nutrient status, cotton canopy photosynthetic properties and seedcotton yield in a barley-cotton rotation system in Yancheng, China. Based on an equivalent C input, five treatments were set: straw-biochar incorporation (SB), straw incorporation with microbial inoculant (SI), straw incorporation (S), straw mulching (SM), and the control without straw or straw-biochar (CK). Treatments with straw and straw-biochar significantly enhanced most cotton growth parameters, and consequently increased the seedcotton yield from the second year to the fourth year. Such beneficial effects induced by the applications of straw and straw-biochar tended to progressively increase annually. In the fourth year, seedcotton yields in SB, SI, S and SM were significantly increased by 24.2%, 16.1%, 14.3% and 8.2%, respectively, compared with that of the control. The highest increase in seedcotton yield in SB was due to the greatest improvements in the contents of soil available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K); root biomass; NPK uptake by cotton; partitioning percentage of NPK to bolls; and canopy apparent photosynthesis rate. The lowest increase in seedcotton yield in SM was mainly ascribed to a reduction of 2.4–3.2 ℃ in the daily maximum temperature of topsoil at the early growth stage of cotton. Overall, compared with other crop straw returning modes, converting straw into biochar and incorporating it into fields could be an appropriate practice for sustaining high seedcotton yield in the barley-cotton rotation system.

Hydrogen peroxide reduces heat‐induced yield losses in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) by protecting cellular membrane damage

AbstractWe investigated the effect of various growth substances such as hydrogen peroxide, salicylic acid (SA), moringa leaf‐extract (MLE) and ascorbic acid (ASA) on leaf physiology and seed cotton yield (SCY) of heat‐stressed cotton. Cotton plants were exposed to elevated temperatures at three reproductive stages, either by staggering planting time in the field or by increasing growth cabinet temperatures (38/24°C and 45/30°C) in glasshouse. Elevated temperature at any reproductive phase significantly damaged cellular membrane and reduced SCY. Plants exposed to 38/24°C and 45/30°C in glasshouse produced 63% and 22% lower SCY, respectively, compared with plants under optimal temperature ((32/20°C). In response to high temperature, cotton plants up‐regulated activities of anti‐oxidative enzymes e.g. peroxidase and ascorbic acid. However, this defensive system could not protect cellular membrane of stressed plants from extreme temperature (38 and 45°C). In contrast, growth substances such as H2O2, ASA and MLE significantly increased anti‐oxidative enzymes activity to an extent, which reduced heat‐induced damage to cellular membrane. No significant effect of any regulator was observed on SCY under optimum temperatures; although H2O2, MLE and ASA significantly increased SCY of heat‐stressed cotton. Hydrogen peroxide increased SCY of April and May thermal regimes crops by 16% (averaged across both sowing dates) under field, while it caused 14% and 20% increase in SCY of plants exposed to sub (38/24°C) and supra optimal (45/30°C) thermal regimes under glasshouse. We concluded that growth regulators, specifically, H2O2 can protect cotton crops from heat‐induced cellular membrane damage by up‐regulating antioxidant defense system.

Boron Nutrition Studies with Cotton and Sunflower in Southern Turkey

ABSTRACTWide variations in boron (B) contents are typical of Turkish soils and plants, and most of the variation, 84% of the plant-soil B values are within the “normal.” Boron application on low B soils can make a contribution to yield in cotton and sunflower crops. Field experiments were carried out on clayey and medium-textured soils, which are Chromoxererts, Haploxererts, Xerochrepts, and Xerofluvents in Southern Turkey to study the effects of boron fertilization on irrigated cotton and rainfed sunflower growth, yield, and yield components. Four levels of boron—0, 1, 2, and 3 kg ha−1—were applied at planting and the experimental design was completely randomized block design with four replications. There was a 31% and 31.9% increase in seedcotton yield at 3 kg and 2 kg ha−1 of B, compared to the control only two out of four sites. There was an average increase of 61.4% in boll weight with 2 kg B ha−1 application compared to the control. Effect of different application rates of B was not significant for fiber length, fiber strength, and fiber length uniformity. All levels of boron produced higher head diameters over control only one out of four sites. Boron applied at the level of 3 kg ha−1 produced the highest 1000 seed weight of 47.5 g representing an 18% increase over the control. Boron applied at the level of 1 kg ha−1 produced the highest seed yield, representing a 25% increase over the control only at one out of four sites. Boron was no value as a fertilizer for sunflower under given experimental conditions even though some uptake of boron was occurred. Boron fertilization may be regarded as effective in improving cotton yields.

Response of desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum) to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization in western Uttar Pradesh

Three different trials with nitrogen, phos- 1,521 kglha. However, increase in flower phorus and potassium were conducted on initiation and plant height decreased the Lohit desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum seed-cotton yield considerably. These results L.) during the rainy (kharif) season of 1987, are partly in accordance with the findings 1988 and 1989 at Bulandshahr. The soil was reported3by Brar et al. (1992). sandy loam in texture with pH 7.5, organic Application of 60 kg Pha gave the high- carbon 0.57%, cation-exchange capacity 9.6 est seed-cotton yield, which differed signifi- meq1100 g, available P 12.4 kglha and K cantly from 0, 20 and 80 kg Pha. However, 208 kg/ha. The treatments comprising com- it did not show any significant difference binations of 6 levels of N and 5 levels each from 40 kg Pha for seed-cotton yield. On an of P and K (Table 1) were tried in random- average, the increase in seed-cotton yield ized block design with 5 replications for ni- with 40 and 60 kg Pha over 0, 20 and 80 kg trogen and 6 replications for P and K trials. Pha was 16.64 and 18.46, 14.46 and 16.19 The P and K were applied as basal dose and and 17.63 and 19.46% respectively. Appli- N in 2 splits (half as basal and rest half top- cation of P up to 30 kglha i n c r ~ dthe - dressed at flowering). The crop was sown seed-cotton yield significantly over the con- during the second fortnight of May in each trol. Shama et al. (1988) also reported in- ear. The pooled data of 3 years were creased seed-cotton yield with P. The sig- , kdysed statistically. nificant increase in yield of seed-cotton due The variation in seed-cotton yield due to to P is attributed to flower initiation, number different levels of N was significant .and the of bolls and boll weight. No significant re- maximum seed-cotton yield was obtained sponse was observed with the application of with 60 kg Nha (Table 1). There was an in- potassium. crease owing to 60 kg Nha in seed-cotton The N and P curvilinear regression of or- yield by 65.6, 34.6,4.6, 27 and 77.9% over thogonal polynomial was significant. The 0, 30, 90, 120 and 150 kgha respectively. functiona1,relationships between seed-cotton The results confirm the findings of yield and N and P were best fitted by the Bharadwaj et al. (1988). The significant in-u equations (Table 2). crease in yield-contributing characters, viz. The yield response was 1,438.32 kglha at number of bolls and boll weight, with 60 kg the economic optimum rate of 74.44 kglha Nlha application resulted in yield up to for N and 1,634.84 kglha at the optimum

Effect of mepiquat chloride on growth parameters and yield of Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) under high-density planting system

A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2018 and 2019 at Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat, to study the productivity enhancement of Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) grown under high-density planting system using mepiquat chloride. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design, with planting density in main plots and mepiquat chloride treatments in subplots. Pooled data of 2 years revealed that, Bt cotton grown with lower plant density (37,037 plants/ha) recorded significantly higher sympodial branches/plant, sympodial length at 50% height, number of bolls/plant and average boll weight, while high-plant density (74,074 plants/ha) resulted in the maximum seed-cotton (3,544 kg/ha) and stalk yield (3,740 kg/ha) as well as net realization (79.1 103 `/ha). The magnitude of increase in seed-cotton yield owing to higher plant density over lower plant density was 68.53%, on pooled basis. Application of 3 sprays of mepiquat chloride @ 0.4 ml/litre (one each at 45, 60 and 75 days after sowing) resulted in the least growth parameters, viz. plant height, dry-matter accumulation, crop-growth rate, relative growth rate and stalk yield with a highest yield attributes, viz. sympodial branches/plant, sympodial length at 50% height, bolls/plant, average boll weight, seed-cotton yield (3,186 kg/ha) and net realization (66.8 103`/ha). Three sprays of mepiquat chloride @ 0.4 ml/l at 45, 60 and 75 days after sowing resulted in 28.8% higher seed-cotton yield than control treatment in pooled mean

Potential of threshold-based interventions for cotton pest control by small farmers in West Africa

Two types of threshold-based pest control schemes for cotton have been introduced by CIRAD, in collaboration with national research institutions in West Africa, to escape the traditional calendar-based spraying programme. In the first type (in Benin, Cameroon and Guinea), insecticides are still applied according to a calendar (5 or 6 sprayings at fortnightly intervals), but formulations and dosages depend on the pests observed on the day before spraying. In the second type (Faso, Mali, Senegal and Togo), insecticide is applied at a lower dosage than in the usual calendar-based programme and scouting is performed 6 days after spraying. Further spraying is performed on the next day if the threshold has been attained. Specific procedures depend on the country (sampling plan, insects considered as key-pests): spraying thresholds and active ingredients may vary according to these features. The main benefits of this approach are ecological and economic. A 40–50% reduction in pesticide consumption reduces the protection cost from US$50/ha to less than US$30/ha. Accurate timing of spraying results in a 100–200 kg/ha increase in seed-cotton yield. Many constraints remain, the main one being the training of farmers in insect scouting and identification. They may account for the small acreage currently sprayed within the context of threshold-based pest control in cotton.