Cotton

Land Preparation



Land Preparation Implements


Land Preparation

  • Cotton requires a reasonably good seedbed but very fine tilt may not be necessary as the soils tend to cap in or crust.

  • Proper and timely soil preparation conserves soil moisture, provides optimum tilt for germination, controls weeds, breaks hard pans if any, in the sub soil and exposes pupae of pests to scorching heat and predatory buds.



  • The conservation tillage is the acceptable practice where the field is left rough to permit soaking of rain water.
  • Deep primary and secondary tillage operations are enough to prepare a good bed for cotton seeding.
  • In black soils of Central and Southern Zone, deep ploughing is recommended once in 3-4 years. Field is prepared by repeated ploughing with a blade harrow (bakhar) after the premonsoon or monsoon showers.
  • After getting good tilt the land is laid out into ridges and furrows with the help of a ridge plough or a bund former.
  • The furrows here act as both drainage channels and moisture conservation channels, thus economizing the irrigation water.
  • Length of ridge/furrow depends on the slope of land (for <1% slope, length may be 30-40 mt).
  • 2-3 deep ploughings are necessary by using mould board plough or tractor drawn ploughs.
  • The practice of sowing on ridges has helped cotton plants to penetrate their roots and withstand the moisture stress more efficiently.
  • The cultivation of cotton lands has drastically changed in Karnataka in the last 25-30 years to suit to method of sowing.
  • As the drill sowing has practically vanished, the cotton fields are conveniently laid out into ridges and furrows – so that dibbling is taken up on ridges.
  • In some regions, flat bed sowing is also undertaken. In such regions, sowing is undertaken at the intersection of two ridge lines and after the seedlings emerge the ridges are conveniently made along with crop rows.
  • In regions of hybrid cotton, the rows are widely spaced. Two way intercultivation at frequent intervals has helped the crop to remain free of weeds.

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Equipment's to be used

The tillage implements used for growing the cotton crop depends on

  • Nature of the soil.
  • The method of growing the crop, and
  • The different operations of cultivation.

The implements in common use are


Desi plough.

The bakhar or black harrow.

  • A beam leveler or clod crusher.
  • Single or multi-countered wooden seed drill.
  • Kolpa or blade cultivator, and
  • A khurpi or hand hoe.

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Karnataka

Cotton

Cotton Management