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All About /Crops/Cotton
Growing cotton in prevailing
drought
Ignacio Rodrmguez Iturbe of Venezuela won the Stockholm
Water Prize, 2002 for his scientific contribution to the
understanding of the interaction between climate, vegetation,
soil structure, surface water, floods and drought. Scientists,
all over the world, are conducting research for the efficient
utilization of their water resources, not only promoting the
agricultural sector but also producing electricity for different
fields of life.
But in Pakistan, we are busy with the controversial debate about
whether a specific dam should be constructed or not. We have
been facing drought-like conditions for the last few years. Our
largest reservoirs of water are facing acute shortage and are
touching the dead levels.
There is also the severe problem of sedimentation. We are
wasting 35-40 MAF water annually without it being utilized for
irrigation purposes. The prices of electricity are hiking day by
day because our hydropower plants are not meeting the demands of
the country and we have to purchase this energy from the private
sector at higher cost.
A report published by the consultants, Montreal Engineering in
1984, that Pakistan's hydropower potential in 50,000 MW and we
can produce 30,000 MW on only Indus river between Tarbela and
Skardu by constructing Basha (3581 MW), Dassu (3728 MW). Bunj
(1290 MW), Thahkot (2415 MW), Yugo (1000 MW) and Skardu (4000
MW) dams with water storage capacity of 15.5 MAF. This a long
debate but we have to discuss the type of techniques we can
adopt to improve our agriculture sector with these limited
resources.
Cotton is our major cash crop with 60 per cent of our export
comprising of cotton or cotton products. The government is
promoting cotton, where it can be successfully cultivated,
because other kharif crops like rice and sugar-cane require
plenty of water to mature. In some parts of Balochistan, cotton
crop had been successfully grown last year and government is
providing different inputs for cotton crop, at subsidized rates,
especially in these areas. In some parts of the southern Punjab
and most of the Sindh, having underground water not gift for the
irrigation.
These areas have to depend on the canal water
totally. We cannot think about rice or sugar-cane in these areas
because of this drought like situation, so we have to depend on
cotton crop not only in these areas where underground water is
not fit for irrigation but also in those areas where underground
water is fit for irrigation because the hiking prices of diesel
and electricity make the use of tube-wells costly and people
have to meet the requirement of their orchards also along with
their farming crops.
Once cotton has been selected as a farm crop during kharif
season, there are numerous techniques to reduce the use of
irrigation water to mature a crop. Firstly, the selection of a
variety. There are numerous tall and dwarf varieties of cotton
available in the market. Each variety possessing different
characteristics such as, total water requirement, duration
between sowing and first irrigation, flower shedding, behaviour
to temperature fluctuation and drought resistance capability,
these are important features which should be considered in the
selection of a variety in this prevalent drought condition.
A variety which should be preferred for cultivation should be
tall, having capability to easily withstand the temperature
fluctuation, drought resistant and having less water
requirement. The first irrigation requirement should be 55-60
days after sowing. The fertilizer requirement should be less and
compensating capability after flower shedding should be higher.
Different certified seeds like CIM473, MNH 554 and BH118 are
available in the market, which possess the characteristics to
survive acute water shortages. Plant to plant distance should be
kept according to the recommendations of their specific variety.
We should maintain the number of plants per acre at 25,000 to
30,000 to gain maximum yield.
Out of these drought tolerant cotton varieties, MNH554 is not
only the most drought resistant but can also be successfully
grown in different types of soil ranging from sandy-loam to
heavy-clay and even salinity affected soils. However, where
underground water is fit for irrigation and abundant water is
available for irrigation purpose, the varieties of cotton with
high yielding potential can be successfully grown by meeting the
water requirements of the crop.
Secondly, the sowing method is important in saving irrigation
water, preferably, the sowing of cotton should be done on ridges
by dibbling method either manually or by planter. In this way we
save 40 per cent of the irrigation water and attain the early
maturity of the crop. In addition, the number of plants per acre
can be maintained by re-sowing the vacant spaces of
un-germinated plants.
If sowing on ridges in not possible and in case of drill sowing,
the land should be leveled and prepared extremely well for
effective root penetration of the plants. The plenty of flooded
irrigation should be provided at the time of Rami so that the
field should retain sufficient moisture for plant roots for the
maximum period of time.
After hoeing and before first
irrigation, the ridges should be developed by creating water
channels in every alternate strip in drill -own crop and in this
way we could save upto 50 per cent of the irrigation water. So
by adopting better agronomic practices and better sowing method,
we can save plenty of irrigation water.
In addition to these, we can also save irrigation water by
lining the water courses of the farm and also the water course
coming from the canal distributory. Hence, eradicating the
wastage of water by seepage which is also giving rise to water
logging. Avoiding the flooded irrigation practices to orchards
by drip irrigation or by water channels, we can also save plenty
of irrigation water which can be utilized by the farm crops.
These are effective measures for the improvement of cotton
production in drought conditions at local level, but there is
need to store water in reservoirs about 25-30
MAF annually not
only for agriculture but also for energy sector. The present
government should adopt a long term policy on sound footings to
save and efficiently manage the agriculture and energy sectors.
Courtsey Dawn (Masood Ahmad Bokhari)
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