Determining the Optimal Plant Spacing for Cotton Varieties to Enhance the Growth and Yield of Cotton Under HDPS in Karaikal Region.

Abstract

Cotton has now become well-known and grown all throughout the world and all the states of India. India's seed cotton production per unit area is still significantly lower than that of several other cotton-growing countries throughout the world. Two of the most prominent factors leading to the country's low cotton crop productivity are a lack of plant population and the use of low-potential cultivars. it is important to investigate new strategies for cotton production. In April 2020, a field experiment was conducted to study the effect of different plant varieties and spacing on the growth and yield of compact-type cotton. The experiment followed a split-plot design with three replications, with four levels of cotton varieties (Suraj, Supriya, CO 15 and CO 17) in the main plots and seven levels of plant spacing (60 cm x 10 cm, 60 cm x 15 cm, 80 cm x 10 cm, 80 cm x 15 cm, 100 cm x 10 cm, 100 cm x 15 cm, and 75 cm x 30 cm) in the subplots. The results revealed that cotton crop growth such as plant height, leaf area index and dry matter production, was higher in CO 17 than in other varieties. Compared to the yield and yield component variety CO 17 recorded higher seed cotton yield with more bolls per plant and highest boll weight than others.

Results revealed that the higher plant spacing of 1,66,666 plants (60 x 10 cm) observed significant maximum plant height. In contrast, the 100 x 10 cm plant spacing recorded the highest growth contributing characteristics, such as leaf area index and dry matter production. 100 x 10 cm spacing has recorded a significantly higher number of bolls per plant; the highest single boll weight and maximum seed cotton yield were recorded. Among the interaction varieties, CO 17 with a 100 x 10 cm plant spacing registered the highest leaf area index and dry matter production in growth, considering yield and yield parameters, recorded higher seed cotton yield, higher number of bolls per plant and boll weight during the cropping period.