Field Day on “High Density Planting System (Hdps) Cotton” at KVK, Wyra on 22.10.2022

Cotton is one of the most important fiber and cash crop of India and plays a dominant role in the industrial and agricultural economy of the country. Cotton has been called a cash crop because it is grown specifically for the purpose of being sold. It is generally easy to grow and there is a marketable need for cotton in our economy resulting in many farmers being eager to grow it. Today, the world uses more cotton than any other fiber and has hundreds of uses in our day to day lives. Clothing and household items are the largest uses along with industrial products accounting for many thousands of bales. All parts of the cotton plant are useful. The most important is the fiber or lint which is used in making cotton cloth. Linters is the short fuzz on the seeds provide cellulose for making plastics, explosives and other products. They are incorporated into high quality paper products and processed into batting for padding mattresses, furniture and automobile cushions. The cottonseed is crushed in order to separate its three products which are oil, meal and hulls. Cottonseed oil is used primarily for shortening, cooking oil and as salad dressing. The meal and hulls that remain are used either separately or in combination as livestock, poultry and fish feed and as fertilizer. The stalks and leaves of the cotton plant are plowed under to enrich the soil. Cottonseeds are used as high-protein concentrates in baked and other food products. Bollworms are the most damaging pests which attack on squares, buds, flowers and bolls. Severe bollworm attack, if not properly managed can cause complete failure of the cotton crop as all fruiting bodies may be destroyed. Of all of them, the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) is one of the most destructive pests of cotton. It bores into cotton bolls, devouring blossoms and seeds. The pinkish coloured larva generally pupates in a cocoon inside a boll or seed. As the larva burrows within a boll, lint is cut and stained, resulting in severe quality loss.The everchanging climatic conditions, shortage of labour, increased incidence of pests and diseases necessitated the need to develop new technologies that can help farmer to generate adequate income without incurring in loss. It is here that High density planting system helps the farmers to over these problems. The high-density planting system (HDPS) in cotton is referred to as narrow row spacing system and uses short duration semi compact cotton varieties. This method limits the boll number, maximizes the no. of bolls per unit area and helps to get high yield in the shortest area possible. As the number of bolls per plant are few, the fruiting window or flowering period is short and plants mature early with synchronous bursting producing cotton fibre with good quality. Usually, 25000 plant population per acre are maintained with spacings of 90x15 cm or 80x20 cm or 75x25 cm. There can be a yield of 12 – 14 quintals and reducing the problems of labour shortage and incidence of pink boll worm. It increases production and net return per unit area.In view of this, KVK, Wyra has organised field day on “High Density Planting System in Cotton” in its field on 22.10.2022 for creating awareness and popularizing this farmer friendly technology. The farmers were clearly sensitized on the advantages of this fast-growing technology. The meeting was participated by Dr. R. Uma Reddy, ADR, CTZ, Dr. B. Ram Prasad, Senior Scientist (Cotton) from RARS, Warangal Dr. V. Thirumala Rao, Principal Scientist (Cotton), ARS, Adilabad, Mrs. K. Rukmini Devi, Senior Scientist & Head (Breeding), ARS, Madhira, Mrs. M. Vijayanirmala, JDA, Khammam, Mrs. G. Anasuya, DHSO, Khammam, Dr. J. Hemantha Kumar, Programme Coordinator, scientists Dr. Jessie Suneetha W, Dr. V. Chaitanya, Dr. K. Ravi Kumar, Mrs. P. S. M. Phanisri along with ADAs, MAOs, AEOs of Khammam District, DAESI students and farmers. The queries concerning the technology were cleared by the ADR, Programme Coordinator, scientists and district agriculture department officials.