N Venkatappa, a farmer in Vathugundla village in Narayanpet district of Telangana, usually grows groundnut as the second crop after growing pulses in during the kharif season.

But this time around, he wanted to try cotton. “I have a borewell and assured irrigation. My decision has triggered a huge interest among fellow farmers . They are coming to the field to see it,” he said.

With increased irrigation facilities in the State after its formation in 2014, Venkatappa, along with hundred other farmers in the State, have decided to grow cotton during the rabi season for the first time in the country.

Poor yields likely

Scientists, however, have raised the red flag cautioning farmers against cultivating the fibre crop during the winter season for two key reasons – it allows pink bollworm to survive and carry on until the start of the kharif cotton and poor yields due to punishing temperatures if the flowering takes place around February.

Scientists at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) have been undertaking trials to test the suitable time to sow and also relevant varieties that fit the bill.

“Some farmers are going for cotton during Yasangi (rabi) season after harvesting soyabean, rice, green gram, sorghum and maize, eyeing more returns,” a PJTSAU official told businessline.

The university is carrying out trials in about 10 research stations across the State, testing on different days (15 days apart), beginning from October 15 and ending around February 1.

Irrigated areas best

PJTSAU, however, warned the farmers against going for large-scale cultivation. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), too, has asked the university not to encourage the farmers to cultivate cotton during the rabi season.

“It should be conducted only in areas where assured irrigation is available. The cultivation should be done on a small scale. They would require 12-15 irrigations to sustain the crop,” he said.

Keshav Kranthi, head of technical, International Cotton Advisory Committee, echoed a similar view. “It is okay if it is being done on an experimental basis,” he said.

“One major concern is the potential of rabi cotton crop to carry over pink bollworm into the main crop in kharif,” said Kranti, former Director of Central Institute for Cotton Research. Winter months cause very slow growth, but, the plant may start growing faster when it starts getting warmer in February.

“However if flowering coincides with summer temperatures, there will be a problem of pollen sterility, small boll size and severe boll shedding, which leads to low yields,” he said.

Challenges

Last year — for the first time — when farmers started the practice on small plots, PJTSAU scientists observed that cotton crop growth is found to be good in sandy clay loam soils and clay loam soils under irrigated conditions.

Farm workers, however, expressed difficulty in cotton pickings during summer due to high temperatures.

“Farmers faced challenges in selling their produce because ginning mills don’t function in that period.,” the university said in its report to the Government.

Interestingly, the produce is rated better as it contains less moisture.

Related Topics