Cultivation

Cotton Irrigation

Gossypium L.

The irrigation regime of cotton critically affects fiber quality and requires the prevention of sharp moisture fluctuations, especially during the flowering and boll formation stages. An important feature is the crop's high sensitivity to root aeration when using intensive irrigation systems.

In the reference 14 varieties crop Cotton, where this is mentioned in the description.

Cotton's water requirements are uneven, reaching peak levels during the periods of flowering and active boll development. Traditional furrow irrigation with ten-day intervals often triggers stress spikes in vegetative growth, which negatively impacts fiber quality. The use of drip irrigation allows for a stable moisture level to be maintained, promoting the formation of compact plants with high boll density and facilitating microclimate control in the ripening zone.

In intensive technologies, such as subsurface drip irrigation combined with plastic mulching, there is a specific risk of root system oxygen starvation. To address this issue, aerated irrigation is used, delivering air directly into the irrigation system. At the end of the growing season, irrigation is minimized or discontinued to stimulate plant desiccation and prepare for harvesting.

The crop's average water requirement is approximately 650 mm, with irrigation rates varying from 2,000 to 10,000 m³/ha depending on soil and climatic conditions. Unlike many other crops, it is fundamentally important for cotton to avoid cycles of over-saturation and moisture deficit, which destabilize development, and to control the air humidity around the bolls during their opening to preserve the commercial quality of the fiber.

General information about the subject — on the page Irrigation.

Sources8

Varieties of Cotton mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.