Hints
for successful cultivation of cotton
Do's
- Grow only recommended varieties/hybrids of cotton.
- Prefer to grow desi cotton (arboreum) in the area
of high infestation of whitefly and leaf curl.
- Heavy pre-sowing irrigation is must to obtain good germination
and ealy establishment of plants.
- Sow non Bt cotton around Bt cotton to prevent resistance development
in Bt cotton against bollworms.
- Complete the sowing from 1st April to 15th
May.
- The incidence of whitefly increases with excessive use of nitrogenous
fertilizer, hence use only recommended dose.
- Give four sprays of 2 % potassium nitrate (13:0:45) solution
starting at flower initiation at weekly interval.
- Give first irrigation after 4-6 weeks after sowing depending
on soil type.. Last irrigation in September is must.
- Eradicate the weeds like kanghi buti, peeli buti, puth kanda,
button buti, wild sunflower, makoh, dhathura, congress grass
growing on field bunds, waste lands, road side and irrigation
channels/canals to avoid further spread of whitefly to cotton
fields.
- Whitefly also attacks other alternate host crops like brinjal,
potato, tomato, okra, moong, mash and guar. Regular
surveillance should be done from February onwards for timely management
on these crops.
- Deploying the low cost yellow sticky traps @ 40 per acre during
initial phase of the cotton crop to check early infestation of
whitefly.
- Strictly follow economic threshold level (ETL) and spray pesticides
when whitefly population reaches 6 adults per leaf in the upper
canopy of plant before 10 a.m.
- First two sprays should be done at 5-7 days interval with Nimbecidine/Achook
@ 1.0 litre/acre in 125-150 liters of water to manage
whitefly and to conserve the natural enemies.
- When adult population is low and nymph populations on the under
surface of leaves is high or when honeydew symptoms appear on
the plants, spray Lano 10EC (Pyriproxyfen) @ 500 ml/acre, Oberon
240 SC Spiromesifen @ 200 ml/acre. In case of severe infestation
of whitefly adults, spray 800 ml of E mite/ Fosmite/Volthion (ethion
50EC) or 600 ml of Marktriazo/ Sutathion (triazophos 40EC) or
200 g of Polo/ Craze (diafenthiuron 50WP).
- The recommended insecticides should be sprayed using 125-150
litres of water per acre with manually operated knapsack sprayer
- Use only recommended insecticides with recommended dose and
time.
- Use fix type hollow cone nozzle. Through coverage of plants
with insecticides is essential to check the multiplication of
whitefly.
- Community approach should be adopted at village level for the
application of insecticides.
- Spray insecticides before 12 AM or in the evening.
Dont's
- Do not grow unrecommended cultivars of Bt cotton
- At flowering and boll formation stage avoid
irrigation stress to cotton plants.
- Do not use the un recommended insecticides
- Do not use less or more dose of recommended
insecticides.
- Avoid tank mixing and use of readymade
insecticidal mixtures.
- Do not use synthetic pyrethroids (cypermethrin, fenvalrate,
deltamethrin), acephate and Pride (acetamiprid) as they cause
resurgence of whitefly.
- The same group of insecticide should not be
sprayed repeatedly.
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