Influence of Different Planting Scheduling and Cultivar on the Growth and Yield of Cotton Crop

Abstract

A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of planting schedule on the growth and yield of cotton crop at Cotton Section, Agriculture Research Institute, Tandojam during Kharif 2013. The experiment was laid out in a three replicated factorial randomized complete block design. The treatments consisted of three cotton cultivars, i.e. Star-2, NIAB-78 and Sindh-1, and three planting schedulings, viz. 20^th April, 10^th May and 30^th May. The statistical analysis showed that different planting schedules significantly (P<0.05) affected the growth and yield parameters of cotton varieties. Among planting schedulings, planting of cotton varieties on 20^th April resulted in maximum seed germination, plant height, sympodial branches per plant, days to first flowering, bolls per plant, seedcotton yield plant^-1, seedcotton yield, GOT, staple length and minimum monopodial branches per plant, followed by planting of cotton varieties on 10^th May in all the traits studied, particularly seedcotton yield. However, minimum growth and yield attributes, particularly seedcotton yield was observed when cotton crop was sown on 30^th May. In case of varieties, maximum growth and yield traits were produced by cotton cultivar Sindh-1, followed by cotton cultivar NIAB-78 in all the parameters studied. However, minimum performance were observed by cotton cultivar Star-2. As regards interactive effects, the interaction of 20^th April x cotton cultivar Sindh-1 resulted in maximum output, whereas minimum output were recorded under the interaction of 30^th May x cotton cultivar Star-2. Hence, results concluded that the interaction of 20^th April x cotton cultivar Sindh-1 proved to be the most feasible for obtaining maximum seed cotton yield (3177.5 kg ha-1) of cotton crop under agro-ecological conditions of tandojam.

Keywords: Planting  schedule, Growth, Yield, Cotton cultivar