Cotton is sown in April to May under irrigation in north India and with the monsoon rains (usually June to early July) in central India. The crop needs 150 to 180 days, and the picking you are doing or planning now in October runs into winter. The MSP for 2026-27 is ₹8,267 per quintal of medium-staple seed cotton (kapas) and ₹8,667 for long staple, both ₹557 higher than last year.
This guide combines the pest advisory of ICAR-CICR Nagpur (the national cotton institute) with state package-of-practice doses, and spends the most time on the two things that decide income: controlling pink bollworm and delivering dry, clean kapas at MSP.
Sowing windows by zone
| Zone | States | Sowing guidance |
|---|---|---|
| North | Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan | PAU recommends 1 April to 15 May in Punjab; ICAR-CICR says timely sowing is up to 15 May for hirsutum (American) hybrids and varieties and up to 30 April for desi cotton. Early sowing tolerates whitefly and leaf curl disease better. |
| Central | Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana (mostly rainfed) | Sow on effective monsoon rain, usually June to early July. Avoid pre-monsoon sowing ahead of the season: CICR warns that pre-season sowing is more exposed to pink bollworm. |
| South | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh | Follow your agricultural university calendar. The main specific risk here is tobacco streak virus (necrosis) carried by thrips. |
Choosing seed
Buy only authentic, state-recommended seed and keep the bill (CICR). The table below is what PAU recommends for irrigated north India; for central and south India use the list from your state agricultural university or KVK.
| Type (PAU, north India) | Maturity | Seed cotton yield | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAU Bt 3 (2022), Bt variety | not stated | 10.2 q/acre | Bollworm resistance built in; tolerant to jassid and leaf curl disease; fibre 26.2 mm |
| PAU Bt 2 (2022), Bt variety | 160 to 165 days | 10.0 q/acre | Tolerant to jassid and leaf curl disease; fibre 27.6 mm |
| Bt hybrids | Per hybrid | Per hybrid | PAU publishes a yearly list of recommended Bt hybrids before the sowing season; choose from that list |
| LH 2108 (non-Bt) | 165 to 170 days | 8.4 q/acre | Also useful as the refuge crop |
| F 2228 (non-Bt) | 180 days | 7.4 q/acre | Moderately resistant to jassid and bacterial blight |
- Refuge: PAU says to sow non-Bt cotton around Bt cotton to delay bollworm resistance: either 20% of the area with a protected non-Bt version of the same hybrid, or a 5% border that is left unsprayed. Many Bt hybrid packets already contain a mixed refuge.
- In north India, desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum) is tolerant to whitefly and immune to cotton leaf curl disease (CICR), a lower-risk though lower-yielding option in whitefly-prone areas.
- Do not replant grain saved from a Bt hybrid; the next generation loses vigour and uniformity.
Spacing and plant population
Keep to the spacing recommended for your zone and hybrid, and keep the plant count that spacing implies. CICR advises 8,000 to 10,000 plants per acre for hirsutum hybrids in the north. PAU sows rows 67.5 cm apart and keeps plants 75 cm apart for Bt hybrids (about 8,000 plants per acre), 30 cm apart for PAU Bt varieties and 60 cm for non-Bt varieties. The Bt hybrid seed rate is about 0.9 kg plus about 0.24 kg of refuge seed per acre. Too dense a crop invites disease and pests; too thin a crop gives away yield.
Weeds
Hoe two or three times, the first before the first irrigation, and avoid hoeing after fruiting starts. PAU also recommends pendimethalin at 1 litre per acre as a pre-emergence spray within 24 hours of sowing on a fine, moist seed bed. Follow the label.
Fertiliser
PAU's recommendation for medium-fertility soil in Punjab is below. Doses in other states differ, so use your state university's package and a soil test (Soil Health Card). Skip phosphorus if the preceding wheat crop received its full dose, and cut urea by 10 kg per acre when 27 kg of DAP is used.
| Crop type | Per acre (N : P2O5) | Per hectare (approx.) | As fertiliser per acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Bt varieties | 30 : 12 kg | 74 : 30 kg | 65 kg urea + 27 kg DAP (or 75 kg SSP) |
| Bt varieties | 37 : 12 kg | 91 : 30 kg | 80 kg urea + 27 kg DAP (or 75 kg SSP) |
| Bt hybrids | 55 : 12 kg | 136 : 30 kg | 120 kg urea + 27 kg DAP (or 75 kg SSP) |
Do not overdo urea. CICR advises against high nitrogen doses, either basal or as top-dressing, because they cause rank growth that shelters pests and worsens pink bollworm and whitefly problems.
Pink bollworm: the pest that decides the crop
Pink bollworm now damages Bt cotton in many states, so watching the crop is more useful than calendar spraying. CICR's advisory for 2024-25 sets out a clear routine:
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| From about 45 days after sowing | Put up pheromone traps, 5 per hectare (about 2 per acre), to track moth activity. |
| Squaring and flowering | Inspect flowers for larvae. Pick and destroy rosette (twisted, unopened) flowers. |
| Green boll stage | Pluck and cut open 20 green bolls per acre from random plants, one boll per plant. |
| Economic threshold | 10% rosette flowers, or 10% damaged green bolls (2 of 20 with larvae or exit holes), or 8 moths per trap for 3 days in a row. Only then spray. |
| Insecticide options listed by CICR | Profenofos 50 EC (30 ml per 10 litres), emamectin benzoate 5 SG (5 g per 10 litres), indoxacarb 14.5 SC (10 ml per 10 litres) or chlorpyriphos 20 EC (25 ml per 10 litres). Use 150 to 200 litres of water per acre. |
Important CICR rules: avoid synthetic pyrethroids before 120 days after sowing because they trigger whitefly and aphid outbreaks; never spray insecticide mixtures or tank-mix with other agrochemicals; use only label-claim products and protective clothing. Product approvals change each year, so confirm the current list with your KVK or state agriculture department. See also the pests page.
Sucking pests and virus
- Whitefly in north India: Sow on time, grow two dense border rows of sorghum, pearl millet or maize, keep bunds and canal banks weed-free, use yellow sticky traps, and spray neem-based products early (up to 60 days). Insecticides that CICR lists for whitefly adults include diafenthiuron, afidopyropen, dinotefuran and flonicamid, used from August onwards.
- Tobacco streak virus in the south: Control weeds, especially parthenium, on bunds; monitor between 40 and 75 days; manage thrips early with a label-approved product.
Ending the crop and cleaning the field
- CICR says not to extend the crop beyond 180 days. A long-standing crop lets pink bollworm build up for the next season.
- Clear residual stalks and partly opened bolls from the field, and do not stack stalks in the field. Stack them away from the field, preferably near the village, and use them before March.
- Rotate with a non-host crop; sorghum, pulses or groundnut break the pest cycle better than cotton after cotton.
Picking and keeping kapas saleable
- Pick only fully opened bolls, after the dew has dried, so the kapas does not go into the bag damp.
- Pick clean cotton and cotton from pink-bollworm-affected bolls separately. CICR advises that clean cotton may be stored or marketed, while infested or stained seed cotton and cottonseed should not be stored in godowns.
- Keep the picked kapas in the shade on a dry floor or tarpaulin, away from leaves and trash, and never add water to increase weight.
Selling: MSP, CCI and the Kapas Kisan app
- MSP 2026-27: ₹8,267 per quintal for medium staple and ₹8,667 for long staple. Other staple classes have their own MSPs, published by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).
- Procurement agency: CCI is the central agency that buys kapas at MSP when market prices fall to that level.
- Moisture norm: The base moisture is 8%. Press reports on CCI rules say kapas with 8 to 12% moisture is bought at a reduced price (about 1% lower for each extra 1%), and above 12% is not bought. Confirm the exact deduction at your centre.
- Registration: Register on the CCI "Kapas Kisan" app; registered farmers who book a slot get first priority at the market yard. In Gujarat the state asked farmers to register by 31 October 2026. The Gujarat helpline is WhatsApp 9428237246, and centre lists are at cotcorp.org.in.
- Mandi price: Check the day's rate at the cotton mandi page and the MSP page before you decide where to sell.
Cost and return arithmetic
The government's all-India average cost of production for medium-staple cotton in 2026-27 is ₹5,511 per quintal of seed cotton (including hired and family labour, inputs, rent and interest). At the MSP of ₹8,267 that is a margin of ₹2,756 per quintal. The yields below are assumptions for illustration, not averages for your area.
| Seed cotton yield (q/acre) | Gross at MSP ₹8,267 (₹) | Cost at ₹5,511/qtl (₹) | Margin (₹/acre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 49,602 | 33,066 | 16,536 |
| 8 | 66,136 | 44,088 | 22,048 |
| 10 | 82,670 | 55,110 | 27,560 |
Because the ₹5,511 figure is an average, a low-yielding rainfed field has a higher cost per quintal and a thinner margin. Selling at ₹7,500 instead of MSP cuts the margin per quintal from ₹2,756 to ₹1,989. Protect your downside with PMFBY and seasonal credit through a Kisan Credit Card.
Sources
- ICAR-CICR Nagpur: Strategies and Advisory for Cotton Pest and Disease Management 2024-25
- PAU Package of Practices for Crops of Punjab, Kharif 2026 (cotton)
- Cabinet approves MSP for Kharif crops 2026-27 (text of the official release)
- Free Press Journal: Gujarat cotton farmers can register for MSP sales till October 31 (28 Sep 2026)