GROWING COTTON

Issue: March 2004

THANKS TO OUR RECTOR

We would like to extend our thanks to Prof. Dr. Yalçın KEKEÇ, the Rector of Çukurova University, for his constant physical and moral support to the activities of our Center, also to Prof. Dr. Oktay GENCER, of whom we used his researches on cotton in preparing this booklet.

Cotton Growth Stages

Cotton, once occupied a significant place within the traditional agricultural structure of Çukurova, has become the symbol of Adana. While Adana was the Province having highest cotton potential, significance of this crop is decreasing day by day. Likewise, cotton, once called as “the White Gold of Çukurova Plain” is becoming a crop being grown on less and less areas day by day.

Land preparation

Although cotton is a crop that can be grown on any type of soil, but alluvial and deep profile soils are supposed to be best for achieving high yields and quality crops. Easily tillable and easily irrigable soils are ideal for cotton farming.

The first operations in the process of land preparation in cotton farming are; clearing the land and subsoil tillage. A hard layer, called plow pan or hard pan, is formed under the lands where cotton farming is practiced for long years. This layer should be broken since it can hinder growth of plant root system. Equipment called subsoiler is used for this purpose. Farmers can till soils up to 90 cm depth with this equipment reducing soil surface disturbance. Seedbed preparation via fall and winter tillage follows this procedure. If cotton is to be planted again, stalks should be cut and land should be plowed up to 20-25 cm depth. Repeating plows in winter will be beneficial if land is covered with weeds and dampness and heat of the soil is favorable. If cotton is to be planted following wheat, land should be plowed immediately after harvest, under favorable soil dampness and heat. Last tillage in cotton farming is spring tillage which is for seedbed preparation. 15 cm depth is usually sufficient for this plowing.

Planting

Use of seeds with high genetic purity is essential for high yields and high quality crop. A good cotton seed material is required to meet the following standards:

• Big and plumb, uniform size, form, and color, free from many uncovered, green and dark, imperfectly delinted (fluffy) seeds.
• Passed through selectors, and cleaned well, free from empty or cracked seeds, or leaves. 
• Seeds should be hard and dry.
• Germination rate should not fall below 80%.
• Should be ginned.
• Should be delinted.

Planting date is determined based on the climatic conditions. Soil temperature should reach to 15° C for planting. Although it varies from region to region and from year to year, the most suitable planting time in Çukurova region is between March 25 and April 30.

Cotton seeds are planted into rows with mechanical planters. Planting depth varies based on soil conditions but it is usually 3-4 cm. Germination occurs within 5-10 days under normal conditions. Seed should be wetted a few hours before planting in order to ensure early germination. A second planting is proposed in case of an insufficient germination.

Cultural Operations

Cultural operations in cotton farming are thinning, hoeing and shortening stalk. Thinning is required in order to ensure well development and early maturation of the plant. When plants are with only four leaves (about 10 cm) a slight thinning is applied with 5-6 cm intervals. In general, first thinning should be made at the same time with first hoeing and second one (complete thinning) with second hoeing. Weeds encountered after planting should be destroyed by hand picking or by hoeing with a cultivator. Number of hoeing depends on weeds on the field. After the boll development, 10-15 cm long part of the plant is broken from the top. This is called shortening stalks. This is applied on late sown and irrigated fields. This may also be accomplished by applying growth regulators. Shortening stalks or growth regulator applications are not required for normally developed plants.

Irrigation

Water requirement of cotton plant varies between 400-600 mm, based on soil and weather conditions. Since annual precipitation is usually not sufficient in cotton growing regions, water required for a good growth of cotton should be given with irrigation. Irrigation is the first factor affecting yield in cotton farming. Time of irrigation and amount of water to be supplied are determined checking signs of plant water stress and moisture situation of the soil. Irrigation intervals and number of irrigations varies depending on cotton varieties grown, soil properties, height of water table, amount and distribution of precipitation, temperature during growth season and relative humidity. Under regular climatic conditions and on medium textured soils, 4 or 5 irrigations with 15-20 day intervals are usually sufficient for cotton species grown in our region. Surface irrigation methods (furrow, border) may be proposed for Çukurova farmers.

Surface Irrigation	Sprinkler Irrigation

Pest Management

Adverse effects of diseases and insects in cotton farming are closely related to climatic conditions and pest applications. High humidity and temperature creates a favorable environment for plant diseases and insects. Therefore 4 or 5 pest applications are required particularly in Çukurova Region.

Fertilization

Amount of fertilizers to be used in cotton agriculture varies depending on soil and weather conditions, as well as cotton variety and irrigation applications. When determining type and amount of fertilizers, soil tests are an absolute requirement. However the following may be considered as a general guideline for our region:

Harvest

Cotton harvest was started with the maturation of the bolls. Starting date of the harvest depends on climatic conditions of the region, planting date and irrigation status. In Çukurova region harvest starts at the end of August and lasts up to beginning of October.

Mechanized Cotton Harvest

In Turkey cotton is harvested by hand and in two or three phases in general. Cotton harvested during first phase has good quality. Labor problems encountered throughout our country caused hand picking a non economical activity. Therefore, switching to mechanical harvesting is inevitable. The most important issues here are the use of cotton varieties suitable for mechanical harvest and proper agricultural techniques. In Turkey, a lot of researches and applications are being studied on mechanized harvest during recent years.

DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, COMMUNICATION,
RESEARCH AND APPLICATION CENTER
Prof.Dr. Yaşar GÜRGEN

Telephone and Fax: 0 322 338 67 46
Web: http://www.cu.edu.tr/merkezler/tyhm

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