Foliar sprays to enhance cotton seed quality

COTTON IS cultivated mainly during summer and winter. Seed crop requires attention for the maintenance of physiological characters of seed viz., viability, vigour and storability.

Foliar sprays of nutrient and insecticide can aid in production of good quality seeds. The study carried out by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore recommended the application of 200:150:100 kg NPK ha -1 for seed crop of cotton varieties like MCU 5.

Foliar spray with 2 per cent DAP at 75 and 90 days after sowing improved the flower number, ovule number, pollen number, pollen weight and viability and resulted in higher seed set.

For sowing of aged seed with less initial germination also the treatment was found to improve the seed set and yield. The DAP spray can be altered with either MgSO4 2 per cent or Borax 0.5 per cent spray depending on the need and availability.

Imidacloprid 200 SC at 100 ml ha-1 is recommended as insecticidal foliar spray for control of insect pests of cotton (35 days after sowing). But the increased dose of Imidacloprid ie 200 ml ha-1 is deleterious to seed quality.

Application of Imidacloprid 70 WS 10 g kg-1 of seed as pre-sowing seed treatment also have influensive effect on insect control and enlightment of seed quality.

From 105 days after sowing with initiation and advances in picking, spray of Ekalux EC 25 at 500 g ai ha-1 as pre-harvest sanitation spray at 3 numbers (105, 120 and 135 days) and at 14 days interval improved the seed cotton yield per unit area.

This spray also maintained the seed quality characters interms of seed germination, vigour and storability. But pre-harvest spray with SAN 5638 I 240 at both lower (500 g ai ha-1) and higher (1000 g ai ha- 1) were harmful pertaining to seed quality.

Adoption of these array of sprays for cotton can be given by the seed producer to raise a profitable seed crop.

G. Sasthri, C.P.Thiagarajan & P. Srimathi

Department of Seed Science and Technology

TNAU, Coimbatore 3

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