Recommended rules for cotton cultivation in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan Prepared by Altaf Hussain (Senior Project Officer)

Worldwide Fund for Nature, (WWF) Bahawalpur-Pakistan Agricultural scientists are actively engaged in studying crops in relation to their adaptive behavior to weather, climate, and soil conditions at eight different adaptive research farms in Punjab. They have given many fruitful recommendations aiming to increase the productivity of cotton, Pakistans most cultivated cash crop. The recommendations are as follows: 1) Before the sowing season, the farmers are advised to arrange seed of the curly leaf virus resistant verities and avoid buying banned varieties. The recommended varieties are area specific. 2) For the American varieties, the farmers are advised to use 8-10Kg cotton seed per acre whereas for the local varieties, 6-7Kg per acre is recommended. In total, 20,000 plants per acre are advised. If less than 80-90% seeds germinate, successive plantations or increase in seed rate is advised. 3) De-lint the cotton seed by using Sulphuric acid. The recommended ratio is one liter per 10Kg of cotton seed. 4) Before the irrigation intended for the initial seed bed preparation, farmers are advised to plough the land twice by using cross chisel plough. Running a cultivator twice at this stage is also recommended. 5) After the initial irrigation (10cm), the farmers are advised to once again plough the land by using an ordinary plough. Two successive irrigations at this stage are very helpful for keeping the ploughed land wet for a longer period of time, which helps in seed germination. 6) While sowing, the seeds should be treated with Imidacloprid 70-WS or Promit-400. The recommended dozes for both the pesticides are 5g and 20ml per Kg of cotton seed respectively. 7) In case of salt affected soil, the farmers are advised to sow on ridges and raised beds if there is a risk of rain. This will protect the crop from excessive salt and other minerals. Ridges and raised beds are also helpful in saving water. 8) It is recommended to start sowing cotton seeds at the specified sowing periods. In Punjab, sowing is normally done between 1st of May till 30th of June. 9) The recommended number of plants per acre is 20,000. Each plant needs to be drill planted in a straight line, separated by 2.5 feet from the neighbouring line. The distance between every two plants for the indigenous verities needs to be 7-9 inches and for the American verities, the interplant distance needs to be 9-12 inches. 10) For any failed germinations, gaps should be filled with same verities by soaking for 56 hours and planting at a depth of 2 inches. 11) When the healthy plants and CLCV affected attain a height of 6-8 and 8-12 inches respectively, they should be pruned and a distance of 9-12 inches should be maintained among adjacent plants. 12) Weeding should always be done in integrated manner. 13) Post emergence chemical weedicides e.g. Stamp 330-E (1.5 Litre/acre) should be applied before sowing and final ploughing.
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14) Sowing should only be done when the soil is wet, otherwise the seeds should be soaked in water for 5-6 hours before sowing. 15) Green or farm manure should be applied in case of any soil nutrient deficiencies. 16) Before sowing, the soil should be tested for any nutrient/mineral deficiencies. The governments of Punjab and Sindh have set up laboratories that specialize in analyzing soil and water. These laboratories recommend chemical fertilizers after soil analyses. Their advice is beneficial for the farmers as it lowers fertilizer expenditures, resulting in increased profits. 17) Chemical fertilizer application depends upon the cotton varieties and soil condition; therefore their application should be consulted with the local agricultural extension workers. 18) To overcome Boron deficiencies in the crop, 100g Boron per acre should be sprayed on the crop at the start of flowering stage. Alternatively, 400g of Boron may be applied to the soil at the time of soil preparation. 19) Depending on the cotton variety and climatic condition, first irrigation is done both in Punjab and Sindh after 30-50 days of sowing. Later on, irrigation is repeated after every 15-20 days on the average. Last irrigation is done before the mid of October. The exact time to do the last irrigation again depends on the climatic conditions and the cotton variety. 20) To eradicate termites and field crickets, Seven 10-D should be mixed with 5Kg of wheat bran to prepare a bait. The bait should be broadcasted in the field in the evening. This process should be repeated if the problem persists. 21) To overcome CLCV, using integrated approach e.g. removing all alternative host crops of the virus and weeding is recommended. CLCV and White fly affected plants or plant parts should be uprooted/pruned and properly burnt. Moreover, it is recommended that the CLCV resistant cotton varieties should be grown. Crop rotation and growing multiple varieties is also very helpful to curtail CLCV. 22) To overcome crop diseases, growing resistant varieties, proper and balanced irrigation, periodic application of Nitrogen fertilizers and applying Phosphorus and Potassium in an effective way is recommended. All the diseased plants should be uprooted and properly disposed of and Benlate should be applied to the seeds. 23) To control White flies, Jassids and Aphids, cotton seed should be treated with Imidacloprid 70-WS at the rate of 5-10g per/kg of seed. 24) To eradicate army worms and boll worms (pink bollworm, American bollworm and spotted bollworm), millet should be grown around the cotton field. The birds attracted by millet will also feed on the worms. If chemical pesticides are intended to be used, local extension workers must be consulted in order avoid losses.

Source:
National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad
http://www.parc.gov.pk/Urdu/Urdu-Material/Crops-M/CottonCultiv/CottonCultiv.htm

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