My cotton stand always looks thin with gaps. What is the right plant population per acre and how do I make sure I reach it?
What plant population per acre should I aim for in cotton and how do I get it (kapas)?
NNaresh Goud7mo ago · 295 views
5 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓7mo ago
For normal hybrid cotton a population of roughly 18,000 to 22,000 plants per acre at 90x60 cm or 90x45 cm gives a good balance, while HDPS with compact varieties can go much higher. To actually reach the target, sow on good moisture, use fresh dated seed for germination, and gap fill within 7 to 10 days where seeds did not come up. Thin to one healthy plant per hill if more than one germinate. Uneven moisture, deep sowing, and crusting after rain are the common reasons stands turn out thin, so sow at the right depth and break any crust gently. Confirm the spacing and population for your specific hybrid and soil with your local KVK.
YYadagiri Reddy6mo ago
My gaps were mostly from sowing too deep in dry clods. Once I waited for proper moisture and kept the seed shallow, germination became even and I had far fewer blanks to fill. Fresh seed from the current season also helped a lot.
KKomuraiah Goud6mo ago
I always keep a small handful of the same seed aside for gap filling and do it within a week of seeing the blanks. If you wait too long the gap fill plants stay small and never catch up with the rest of the field. Quick gap filling on moisture is the trick.
LLakshmamma6mo ago
One caution, after heavy rain the soil forms a hard crust and the seedlings cannot push through, which leaves gaps that look like germination failure. I gently break the crust with a light hand hoe across the rows once the rain stops. That single step saved many of my seedlings that were stuck under the surface.
SSrihari Reddy5mo ago
Do not judge your stand only by how thick the seedlings look in the first week, because some hybrids branch out and fill the space as they grow. I counted plants in a measured length of row across a few spots to get the real population before deciding to gap fill. That honest count stopped me from overcrowding by filling gaps that the crop would have covered anyway.