Cotton Farming

Cotton, which is basically a perennial tropical plant type, is an industrial plant that has an important place in our country's economy. According to TURKSTAT data for 2017, all species are cultivated in a total area of 5,018,534 decares in our country. A total of 15,055,602 tons of products are purchased from this area. Şanlıurfa province comes first in cotton production in our country with a total production of 1,028,315 tons.
Cotton is a taproot plant and its root can grow up to 180 cm. Its body is 80 - 120 cm long and upright. Although it varies according to the varieties, the leaves can be in different structures such as wide bladed, thin long, deeply carved. It is a plant with long flowering and harvest periods and has a bush-shaped appearance. It is a plant that can be grown as an annual. Cotton has a special importance in human life. The reason for this is that most of the fabrics used in the production of many garments are made of cotton fiber. Cotton is not only used in the textile industry. Its seeds, called seed cottonseed, are also used in the vegetable oil production sector as the main ingredient due to their 17 - 24% oil content. The width of the space, the place of human life and benefits because both have an important place in the world economy as well as Turkey itself.
Climate Requests
One of the most important factors in cotton cultivation is temperature, daylight, precipitation and relative humidity in terms of climate characteristics. The average temperature is desired to be around 19 ° C throughout the year and 25 ° C in summer. The temperature should be 20 ° C before comb formation in the plant. When the plant reaches the flowering phase, the temperature should be around 25 ° C, and when it comes to the growth stage of the cocoons, it should be around 30 - 32 ° C. In order for the cocoons to be opened as desired, the temperature is required to decrease up to 15 ° C.
Soil Requests
Cotton is a plant that can be grown in many soil types in general. However, in order to reach optimum yield and quality in commercial terms, deep profile alluvial soil type is preferred. If we list the soil properties with the most suitable structure for the cultivation of the plant, we can state it as deep, sandy - clayey structure, high water holding capacity, good permeability, easy to process and irrigate.
Soil Preparation
Field cleaning and subsoil processing are the first steps to be taken in the preparation of the land to be cultivated for cotton cultivation. If cotton has been cultivated in the field for a long time, a hard ground called "under the plow" or "base stone" forms in the soil over the years. This base, which prevents the healthy development of plant roots, must be broken. In order to break this layer, tools called "subsoilers" are used to dig the soil bottoms. Thanks to the subsoiler machine, the soil is processed at a depth of approximately 90 cm without any deterioration in the upper structure of the soil. This application is followed by the autumn and winter versions and the preparation of the seed bed.
If cotton is to be planted in the field after harvesting, the stalks should be cut in the autumn period and the soil should be plowed again at a depth of 20-25 cm. If the grass density is high in the field and the soil annealing is suitable, it is beneficial to plow the field again in the winter months. On the other hand, if any cereal crop is to be grown in the field, it should be plowed after the harvest, while the soil is annealed. Spring plowing is the last release for seed bed preparation in cotton growing. In the spring version, an average depth of 15 cm is suitable.
Cotton Types
One of the most important factors affecting the yield in cotton cultivation is the type of cotton to be grown and the seedness of this variety. The cotton variety to be selected is desired to be a variety that is adapted to the cultivation area, highly efficient, superior in terms of technological structure, resistant to diseases and pests, and responding positively to maintenance processes. The cotton variety to be grown in the specified region is determined by the adaptation studies carried out in that area. According to the adaptation data obtained as a result of the research, the cultivation of the varieties given below has been found suitable.
Suitable Varieties for the Aegean Region
- Nazilli-84
- Nazilli-87
- NC 873/143
- Nazilli M-503
- Lachata
- Deltaopal
- DP-5690
- DP-5614
- DP-5409
- SG-1001
- SG-501
- SG-404
- SG-125
Varieties Suitable for Çukurova Region
- Cukurova-1518
- Counts-314
- Ersan-92
- Marash-92
- Lachata
- DP-5690
- DP-5409
- DP-50
- SG-501
- SG-404
- SG-125
Varieties Suitable for the Southeastern Anatolia Region
- Sayar-314
- Marash-92
- Cukurova-1518
- Nazilli-87
- Stoneville-453
- Nata
- DP-5614
- DP-20
- SG-1001
- SG-501
- SG-404
- SG-125
Suitable Types for Antalya
- Cukurova-1518
- Nazilli-84
Cotton Seed Planting
If it is desired to obtain economically high yield and quality products in cotton, it is very important to prefer genetically intact and high purity seeds. Large, plump, uniform shape and color seeds are one of the most desirable features in a quality seed. The seed should not contain empty, green and brown, sparsely hairy seed. Seeds should be uniform, disease-free and well cleaned. There should not be any foreign material such as empty and broken seeds and leaves in the seeds. Seeds should be hard. The germination ability of seeds should be 80% and above.
The sowing time is determined by considering the climatic conditions. The desired soil temperature for the cultivation process is 15 ° C and above. Although the sowing time varies from period to period, the most suitable planting period is between 25 March - 30 April. Sowing is done by using a seed drill in the form of row sowing. In planting, the rows should be arranged as 70 cm between the rows and 35 - 40 cm above the rows. Sowing depth is basically 3 - 4 cm depending on the soil structure. The first emergence from seed to the soil surface is normally observed within 5-10 days.
Fertilization
The amount of fertilizer to be applied in cotton cultivation mainly depends on the climatic conditions and soil conditions. In addition to these factors, it varies according to the irrigation and cotton variety. As in other cultivation varieties, soil analyzes should be done at regular intervals before fertilization in order to obtain a quality and high yield product. If the mostly preferred fertilizer type and amounts are listed, it can be stated as 14 - 16 kg nitrogen per decare and 4 - 6 kg phosphorus per decare. Since the soils of our country have sufficient potassium, it is not needed to be used unless deemed necessary in soil analysis results.
Irrigation
Depending on different climatic conditions and soil structures, the water need in cotton cultivation is around 400 - 600 mm. In general, since the annual total rainfall in cotton growing regions remains below the desired values, the water needed for a good growth should be given by irrigation. The time period to be irrigated and the amount of water to be given are determined according to the water requirement of the plant and the humidity in the soil. In order to meet the water needs of cotton in general, it is recommended to irrigate the produced varieties in medium-textured soils and normal climate conditions for 15-20 days, 4-5 times. Although it varies according to the cultivation area, the best irrigation method is surface irrigation with furrow method.
Cotton Harvest
In order to start the cotton harvest, first the cocoons are expected to mature. Harvest time varies according to the climatic conditions of the region, the planting time of the cotton and the irrigation characteristics made. Considering the general conditions, it is possible to say that the harvest starts towards the end of August and lasts until the beginning of November. Labor force is an important problem in cotton harvest. Although the harvest can be done by hand picking 2-3 times under normal conditions, the labor problem has pushed the manual harvesting out of the economic conditions. For this reason, today cotton harvesting is done by machines.
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