Cotton is one of the most commonly grown crop in the World. The leading world-wide producer is India which accounts for about 1/3 of the total production. Other major cotton-grown countries are China, USA, Pakistan, Brazil and Uzbekistan.
Cotton plants (the mine cultivated species is Gossypium hirsutum) are perennial shrubs – but are grown as an annual. Although cotton crop performs well in deep, highly fertile, sandy loam soils with reasonably good drainage, it is a drought tolerant crop. However, for profitable high quality yields a higher rainfall from 600 to 1200 mm is required.
Production of dry matter is the fundamental process of yield formation. Thus, growth of the plant and development of bolls depend on nitrogen (N) availability to plants. Nitrogen promotes growth and increases the number of main stem nodes. Soil applied nitrogen should be supported by foliar application of N, especially at critical growth stages such as intensive shoot and leaf growth, side shoot development and inflorescence development. For all those stages PLONVIT® NITROMAG and/or PLONVIT® OPTY could support plants with proper dose of nitrogen and other macro- and as well, microelements.
High yield of cotton and high quality of fibers are influenced by other macronutrients, especially potassium (K), for which the cotton plants have the highest demand among all macroelements. Potassium plays a particularly important role in cotton fiber length and strength. A shortage will result in poorer fiber quality and lowered yields.
During the boll development phase potassium maintains the internal water pressure in the boll, thus promoting the process. The need for potassium increases dramatically during the early boll set, and approximately 70% of uptake occurs after first bloom. Foliar applied PLONVIT® KAPLPRIM or PLONVIT® KALI could significantly improve supplying plants with potassium, especially during growth phases of side shoot development, inflorescence emergence and boll development.
Cotton plants are not tolerant to low soil pH and calcium (Ca) shortage in soil. Calcium improves cell wall strenght and integrity, and is crucial for overall new cell development. In cotton, the fruiting activity is influenced by the level of available calcium in the soil. Application of PLONVIT® CALCIUM TURBO increases boll and fiber quality.
Due to the limited movement of calcium to the generative parts of plants it is recommended to support this process by using a calcium activator OPTYCAL, which increases the efficiency of the auxin-calcium pump and accelerates the transport of calcium within the plant.
Cotton is very sensitive to micronutrient deficiency, especially boron (B), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn). Microelements have direct effect on a number of natural plant processes, such as photosynthesis, pollination and boll set, nutrient and sugar movement from leaves to the fruit, and production of strong, well developed fiber. Their efficiency could be supported by foliar microelements application of: AMINO ULTRA® Mn-22 or MIKROCHELAT™ Mn-13, AMINO ULTRA® Zn-24 or MIKROCHELAT™ Zn-15, AMINO ULTRA® Fe-20 or MIKROCHELAT™ Fe-13, and AMINO ULTRA® Cu-24 or MIKROCHELAT™ Cu-15.
Also, foliar application of MIKROVIT® BORON TURBO (or MIKROVIT® BORON or MIKROVIT® BORON PLUS) could supply cotton plants with boron to improve boll set processes and increase fiber quality.
Even short-term deficiency of nutrient may have a negative impact on plant growth and yield. Therefore it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the plants needs at every stage of their development. This will allow to properly feed and biostimulate them. INTERMAG’s wide range of products, allows you to develop your own individual foliar fertilization and biostimulation program, considering local soil conditions, crop intensity, stage of plant development and availability of various products.
Plants grown in the field conditions are exposed to numerous stresses related to climatic, weather and environmental factors. In the STRESS CONTROL SYSTEM (SCS) tab, we indicate possibilities of increasing the natural resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stresses, as well as the capability of accelerating the recovery of plants after the occurrence of stressful conditions. The stimulators: TYTANIT®, OPTYSIL®, AMINOPRIM® play an important role in these activities.
Particularly noteworthy are the highly alkaline line of fertilizers ALKALIN™, which, in addition to the basic functions of bringing in nutrients, have shielding properties for plants:
ALKALIN™ K+Si, ALKALIN™ KB+Si, ALKALIN™ PK 10:20.
All of these discussed actions significantly affect the yield increase and its quality parameters.
